Truth Or Consequence
by reeyachan
Summary: School AU. He is an angel in her eyes; a cool, good-looking, dreamy angel who almost all of the girls have fallen in love with. However she still remained in the sidelines, admiring him from afar; knowing that she is out of his league, unaware that a little school delinquency should help the plot grow into something... romantic. Will she give in? KilluaxOC, long-shot. CH11
1. Boy Meets Girl?

A/N: Hello, wonderful people! Welcome to another long-shot story of mine in the fandom. I know some are probably wondering _why on earth_ am I writing about a story on Killua and an OC (because I am a solid KiruGon shipper). Worry not; I do not intend to ruin the beautiful subtext in their pairing. I just thought it would be cute and adorable if I pair the kids with girls, you know, for once. Since I am following my own ethics in terms of writing a KiruGon story; some things are just meant for a girl and a boy. Sorry, but I will continue this no matter what happens. lol The longer A/N about things will come after the chapter.

A few more notes before we start: this story will be a somewhat _cheesy_ one, setting is School AU, things might get annoying. HAHA. This is dedicated to all of Killua's adorable fangirls out there. Heehee. Yeah, so let's start-o!

_Doki = sound of a heart beat_

DISCLAIMER: This is a fan fiction :)

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER ONE**  
Boy Meets Girl?**

_Bright light blue, yellow, baby pink, soft orange–these were all the colours I remember seeing in my vision, though blurry, but clear enough for me to determine. I know I was in an open field with an endless horizon, standing barefoot in the middle of the flowery meadows, looking out at a distance, hoping that something–someone–would show up._

_Hoping he would show up._

_I started to wait, feeling the fresh summer breeze brush against my face, swaying my hair and my white dress towards the west. A huge smile escaped my lips while thinking about him. At first I didn't know why I was anticipating that it will be him who would appear before me. I mean, it could be anyone else, right? But my instincts were certain. And I trust my instincts more than anything else._

_After a few minutes, I was hearing faint rustles far in front of where I was standing. There I stood straight, feeling my heart skip several beats–almost making me choke on my own breathing–my smile was purely wide from ear to ear, I felt hot blood rush through my spine towards my face and felt this tickling thing from my neck to my shoulders. It made me shiver in delight._

_I know it was him._

_For after the moment I blinked, there I saw coming into view, the missing colour I know very well in my heart to who belongs, that colour which makes my pulses throb fast and hard against my skin._

_White._

_I was palpitating–in a very, very good way. Blood seemed to be flowing through my veins at a faster than usual rate. I know it was, because my joints were making me fidget immensely from complete excitement, and glee, and ecstasy._

_It all was like slow motion. His white fluffy hair came into view first, then his pale ivory skin that glowed with it, followed by his deep-set intense sea blue cat-eyes that were very, very distinct and seemed to be dominating all the colours in the world. And as if those were extremely heart pounding enough, that small smile upon his delicate lips was what made me want to lose control of my consciousness._

_He was smiling._

_At me._

_I was in heaven._

_His approach was overwhelming; him walking towards me with that beautiful face of his, wearing his usual black long sleeved shirt–that complimented every adoring thing about him–, his hands placed casually inside the pockets of his beige pants, taking every step with a cool air. I was deeply overwhelmed, especially my respiratory, circulatory, and nervous system._

_He was breathtaking._

_Approximately three feet was his distance from me when he paused, locking his eyes in mine–the instant I got mesmerized, hypnotized. He was like a magician, and I was his assistant; whatever he says, I will follow. And I was ready for his words._

_The small crooked smile on his face grew wider, and I felt my heart skipping beats again. He looked like an angel; like there was this light emanating within the borders of his whole being–an angel with intense mysterious blue eyes._

_"Yuhi."_

_It was like I was hearing a thousand church bells ringing when he said my name. The tone in his voice was of the usual weary, but it was soft. I wanted to hear it again._

_"Yuhi…"_

_Ah, I felt like a bud about to sprout open into the world as a fresh new rose. It made the crazy chills run up and down through my spine. My smile grew wider, and I finally found my voice to answer with a "Yes?"_

_Without warning, he made skin contact with my burning cheeks. It made me cringe and flinch from his sudden touch, but his palm felt soft and warm against my skin. I looked at his hand, and then turned my gaze back at him, sighing in awe upon meeting his smiling face again. He gave a gentle tap to my cheek._

_I giggled. I couldn't help it._

_His lips parted, and he leaned his face closer to mine. I could've sworn he heard my racing heart at that time. After breathing in oxygen, he whispered, "Wake up," his hot breath brushing against my chin._

_I was too mesmerized to even care about what he meant, and a faint "Hm?" was all I could answer._

_He gave me another tap, but it was less gentle than earlier. "Wake up, Yuhi."_

_Another tap._

_Here my face fell and my eyebrows furrowed. The atmosphere was immediately changing. The bright colours were disappearing, gray was filling my vision, and everything was fading._

_Another tap._

_I looked at him, and he wasn't smiling at me anymore. The tap felt almost like a slap in the face. I closed my eyes, hoping everything would be like it was earlier._

_"Wake up, Yuhi."_

_"Yuhi…"_

* * *

"Yuhi… Yuhi!"

A few light mahogany strands of hair fell to the face of the girl who had her head resting on her desk as she turned her head to the left, exposing her skin to the Clementine rays of the sun and burying her right eye to her arms. "Hmm?" she moaned in response–closed eyes fluttering under her furrowed eyebrows.

"Yuhi, wake up."

"K–" She moved in her seat, struggling to do what she'd been hearing. She was not exactly certain who was calling her, but she knew who spoke her name just a little earlier. She wanted to make sure. The addressed raised her head slightly from her arms and started opening her sleepy light auburn eyes. "K…"

"K–? Earth to Yuhi. _Reality_ to Yuhi."

_What…?_ The girl sat up sluggishly, her big auburn eyes slowly adjusting to the light. _When did it become so dark?_ Her orbs scanned the empty chairs and tables of the classroom, gaze drifting from one corner to another, to the unclean chalkboard, to the messy shelves, and to the window–where the sun was close to disappearing in the horizon. A few seconds passed before she sat up straight, like an electric current went past her nerves, with her eyes shot wide and her mouth forming a small 'o'. She silently gasped. _I fell asleep!_

Yuhina Nagame, 14 years old; a normal sophomore girl in the only high school of a typical town named Tomo in a country called Jyopen, class B–with thick light auburn locks that felt straight to her shoulders and a fair share of big auburn eyes that complemented her small, chubby face. Abandoned by her parents since infancy she was raised in a ramen house near the grass-filled meadow part of the outskirts of town by the owner of the place, a middle-aged man named Roroturo. Despite not having a complete family, Yuhi still grew up according to the laws of nature–a cheerful, high-spirited girl, carefree and always smiling. She was bright–well, in her own way–and she adored school. She loved school, but she had this crazy delinquent habit called shamelessly sleeping in class. She had managed to keep it low-key when she was a freshman, but the habit came back in her second year of high school.

And in that afternoon, she did it again.

Slapping her cheeks with her palms to wake herself up and to strike her face for sleeping, Yuhi looked up at the person standing before her, thinking of a good reasonable excuse for her lethargic attitude. _I'm deeeaaad!_ She managed a sheepish smile. "…Sejin…" she sang unconvincingly.

Deep Jade eyes behind huge thick-rimmed eyeglasses stared back into Yuhi's bright auburn ones–looking as vexed as ever, with her arms crossed against her chest and her foot tapping the floor impatiently. "Yes?"

Sejin Rosamond, 15 years old; the second year class B complaint president who never seemed to be in good terms with the world, the introvert person who goes to a home not a soul in school had ever seen, and the person who puts up with Yuhi's lassitude every single time. Yuhi thought if Sejin would remove her glasses and pull off the rubber band that held her long silky raven hair in a ponytail, she would be the prettiest girl in the world. However she also thought that even though she retains her look she still looked pretty.

But in every beautiful creature, there is a force to be reckoned with.

Yuhi shrugged–that smile not leaving her face–guilt and concern filling her head. Instinct told her to clasp her hands together and bow her head low. Begging for pardon in a childish kind of way is not done on purpose according to Yuhi's personality. She was just this type of person–child-like, carefree, and though some people find her incredibly annoying because of her juvenility and lightheaded principles in life, others find her adorably cute and righteous in some instances. Add her small voice to that, too. But when she knows she had done something that is not the most right thing in the world, her apologies are absolute. "I'm so sorry, Sejin!" No, she didn't really mean to sleep in class.

It's not like Sejin hates Yuhi. In fact they're friends, and seatmates in class. She was just this type of person to everybody–moralistic, punctual, and a disciplinarian. Once she had seen someone that she knew had done wrong, she never hesitates in giving her authoritative speech and countenance about the general righteous commandments of the planet. But with Yuhi, she had given enough. In some instances, she wondered if the words she had given the energetic Yuhi entered one ear and exited the other. But she knew the girl was better than that. The auburn-haired lass was… _obedient_ after all–but only towards what she knew was right. A sigh and a shake of the head was all she could respond with.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" Yuhi repeated, bowing continuously. Why was she apologizing anyway? Well, it's because she knew what the punishment for sleeping in class was, and Sejin had to be dragged along with it to keep an eye on her since she _is_ the class president. Responsibilities; Sejin almost loathed them, but she couldn't do anything. And this was part of it. Yuhi knew it all. Her seatmate had been part of it for almost a week now, for crying out loud. She should truly apologize. "I didn't–"

"Don't say you didn't mean it, Yuhi," Sejin retorted calmly, turning towards her own desk. "You had a choice. Either you slap your face or stab your palm with your pen until it bleeds to stay awake, or you completely doze off. It's simple, really."

Yuhi could only pout. The calmness in Sejin's voice wasn't serene at all.

Another sigh echoed in the room. "Why do I feel like you're doing this on purpose?" The raven-haired girl turned to face Yuhi, hoisting the latter's bag from her chair and placing it on her desk. She waited until that subconsciously smiling face would return back to earth.

Yuhi's daydream smile only grew wider.

Sejin cleared her throat.

The instant she heard this, Yuhi straightened up and composed her air before turning to look at their class president again. "S-Sorry." She managed a smile, but it was unconvincing. Sejin frowned. She begged. "I'm not doing this on purpose, I swear! I have a good reason, ne, but I know you won't consider it in any way…" Yuhi trailed off, filling her cheeks with air.

Sejin stared at her for a while. "You know what, I think you're just tired," she mused, standing up and grabbing her bag.

_What? Why?_ Yuhi cocked her head to the right in confusion. _Where… Where's the lecture? Am I being spared?_

"Because you daydream too much. Come on, no point in wasting time here. Go to work, Yuhi. We have lots of things to do at home."

The latter laughed at herself. _There it is._ She then stood up and saluted enthusiastically. "Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

The punishment, which she had been doing for four days that day, did not _at all_ feel like a punishment to Yuhi. Sure, she'd stay after school hours, sure she'd get tired, but the advantage was what's important. This was the reason why Sejin had asked her if she was sleeping in class on purpose–so she could delight herself with this punishment for another day. Yuhi didn't truly mean to think of _that_ person a little while earlier. And she was truly not sleeping in class on purpose. She just couldn't help but smile. Not like her apologies were half-hearted, no, Yuhi just loved looking at the bright side of things.

Cleaning the rooms of class 2-A, 2-B, and 2-C–that was the most wonderful punishment a person like Yuhi could ever ask for. It was actually an easy thing for her now. Sejin didn't seem to mind looking after her too. She had told her that doing homework in school was somehow convenient, since it was quiet, and the atmosphere was scholarly. Back then Sejin would strongly complain about how slow and talkative she was. But the latter also got used to everything and started doing homework instead while Yuhi work on the rooms–which were not a joke to begin with. Their homeroom teacher, Mr. Yama, would tell the other classes to mess up their rooms before leaving so Yuhi would have a hard time and not repeat sleeping in class. But Yuhi had been doing so for four days since Monday, and was now _officially_ the sophomores' after school maid. Fantastic. But she didn't mind that much.

Room 2-C was surprisingly tidy, so the auburn-haired lass skipped to their room, 2-B, which was extremely beyond anything in the world messy, cluttered, tangled, dirty. She didn't realize how their room looked like after waking up until she entered it again. _Teacher Yama did it again,_ Yuhi thought with a smile. _I can't blame him though. I've been out during his class for four consecutive days now._ Yes, and she thanks the heavens for not having to receive a memo yet.

Yuhi then went to work–fixing the chairs and desks, dusting off the shelves, aligning the books, sweeping the floor, clearing the board. She brushed out the last batch of chalk dust that fell on the floor and wiped her forehead. _Finished!_ She turned her bright auburn eyes towards Sejin who was sitting by her desk and gave her a smile–her face glowed with the exercise.

Their class president read her perfectly. She gathered her notes and stoop up, following the excited Yuhi who was hopping out the door and through the corridors. A glad grimace escaped her throat. She couldn't comprehend Yuhi's exuberant and cheerful air, and how she could smile her brightest even in the slightest and most childish things.

A sigh of pure delight escaped her lips even in the very thought of it–of going to class 2-A. Yuhi smiled to herself. Excitement filled her chest. This was the _very_ advantage of her punishment.

"You are obsessed, do you know that?" Sejin mused, walking behind her.

But Yuhi was too dazzled to retort verbally. She knew she was not _that_ obsessed. She was not like those other girls who would squeal in front of his face whenever he passed by. _I just admire him._ Yuhi smiled at her thoughts. Just thinking about his face made her giggle a little. _What's wrong in having a little crush on someone?_

"See? You're already ignoring me at just the thought of his desk."

Yuhi beamed. _His desk; yes, it's in 2-A, and I'm going there right noooow._ She stopped in front of the most glorious door in the world at that moment and looked at Sejin who was walking quite slowly. She carelessly opened the door as wide as it could go. "It's the only thing I feel connected towards–"

. . .

"…him…"

Her senses suddenly, completely froze, and her fast skipping heartbeat was the only thing she was hearing at that pristine moment. _Whoa…_ Yuhi couldn't believe her eyes. The most amazing thing in the universe was happening right before her irises. _Is this fate or what…?_

This fantasy–her entering the door where the man of her dreams was in, sitting on his desk with his legs crossed and his arms folded behind his head serenely, looking away from the window to look at her with his jaded deep blue eyes, the auburn rays of the sunset reflecting on his pale white skin perfectly. Yes, this was it. Th–

**_Bump._**

"Oh! Sorry!"

Yuhi was instantly snapped out of her daydream. _Aww…_ Her wide eyed gaze fell directly at the person who bumped into her. She wanted to ask who the person was and why the person led her away from her moment, but decided to forget about it when she saw who he was. _Ah…_

"Are you alright?" concerned sparkly honey brown eyes shot back at her stare–the tenor voice from his throat stepping an octave higher.

Gon Freecss, 15 years old; second year class A student. He was a transferee for the current school year–a bright eyed, gravity defying raven haired, good-natured boy with the biggest smile on earth that everyone in the whole universe loved. Teachers often gave him extra marks for helping out in club chores, guys enjoyed talking to him, and girls admire him for his adorable countenance. Plus he is _his_ best friend, so of course, Yuhi knew well about him.

She managed a small smile, and stuttered while stepping back. "Y-Yes, sorry for standing in the way." She meant it. It was _their_ room after all.

Gon was known for his kindness and helpfulness toward people he had not even met before, but our protagonist was yet to talk to him. "No, no, I was hurrying here and I thought I could enter the small space on the doorway so I–"

"Did you find it, Gon?"

Suddenly Yuhi felt her pulse skipping beats after hearing that voice–that cool, drowsy voice which she got good tingling chills from just listening to it. She slowly turned her gaze ahead, only to find the person sitting in the middle of the room a little earlier was standing in front of her. She blinked, forcing her lips not to form a rather goofy curve.

"I did! I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Killua."

Doki.

_Killua…_

Killua Zoldyck, 15 years old; second year class A student–a cool, calm, quiet, snow-haired boy with intense blue eyes and with a mysterious air that sent people a signal of how reserved he was. Together with Gon, he was a transferee, who also easily made friends. But unlike Gon, who was his best friend, people knew less of his background, and that was one reason why all the girls in the universe had probably fallen in love with him. And that included our dear protagonist.

Yes, you are correct; Yuhina is _secretly_ in love with Killua. This is the reason why Sejin had asked her if she was sleeping in class on purpose–for this punishment, to be able to go into their homeroom and catch a glimpse of his desk, read the vandals he had carved in there during boring hours, and maybe even take a chance of seeing him in flesh. But again Yuhi argues that she is not _that_ completely head over heels for him. _I'm just… you know, he's just so darn good looking and…_

_XxxflashbackxxX_

It was the end of the first day of the new school year. The sun was near the horizon and the students had gone home, but an auburn-haired girl was still busy doing school chores–as a punishment for sleeping in class… on the first day of school.

Yuhi sighed as she climbed on the railings of the window to reach the highest part. Their teacher, Mr. Yama, had told her to clean the windows only but to make sure they were spotless. She held on to a window frame and tiptoed to stretch her arms, pushing herself to reach the upper edge of the window. _First day; first record. Great. Didn't they say that what you do on the first day of something, you'd keep doing until that thing ends?_ A laugh escaped her throat. _So, will I be doing this for one whole school year?_ She sighed again and smiled to herself. _Maybe this just means that I should never sleep during class ever again._

She took a careful step towards the right while wiping, but the strong wind suddenly loosened up the windows' screws and made them open and close frantically. Yuhi held on tight, but she lost her balance and began to fall. _Oh no!_ She closed her eyes. _I'm going to di–_

And it felt as though time had stopped.

"Try asking for help next time."

_What…?_ She opened her eyes, meeting someone else's. The next thing she knew, she was in his arms.

_Xxxflashback-endxxX_

"Took you long enough."

The instant she heard that voice again, Yuhi snapped back into reality–forcing her lips not to make a convex curve on its own. That moment when Killua had caught her in his arms, she could not ever forget about it–she couldn't forget about the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes, and the feel of his palm against her back. She couldn't, and she wondered why. Then when she thought she had figured it out–that the reason why was because after the incident she didn't get a chance to thank him–his face in her mind just wouldn't leave. But eventually she let herself fall, not knowing if Killua would catch her again.

"Sorry!"

Yuhi turned her gaze towards Gon, and Gon only. She couldn't look at Killua, for she wouldn't know what she'd look like. She watched them converse as she stood there by the door, amused, and overwhelmed. Her nerves told her to speak and finally give Killua her gratitude about what happened three months ago. She reddened, smiled and opened her mouth, trying to force sound to come out of her throat. "A-An–"

"Let's go!" Killua cut her off instantly, throwing his hands behind his head. He walked out the door, past Yuhi, who had seen everything in slow motion, like he had never even seen her in the very first place. "Buy me chocolate on the way home to make up for your lousy amnesiac brain!" the white-haired boy teased.

A look of being neglected painted the face of the auburn-haired girl as she watched Killua walk away from them without giving even a single nod of acknowledgement.

"Sorry, Killua just might be hungry," Gon whispered, rubbing his nape sheepishly.

Yuhi turned to face him, realizing that the raven-haired boy was talking to her.

"Or maybe he's just tired," he explained silently. "Killua has these unpredictable mood swings, you kno–"

"Gon!"

The addressed then instantly stood straight up and uttered a quick question before sprinting away. "What's your name, miss?"

Yuhi blinked before answering. "Yuhi…" she managed to silently say–the things that were happening were taking her aback. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, yet so slow.

Gon gave her a huge smile. "I'm Gon! See you around, Yuhi!" he waved at her and acknowledged the presence of Sejin while running towards the distant white-haired boy.

She exchanged a bright smile of her own as she watched Gon, but it all faded when her gaze slowly shot towards the back of the white-haired boy–the back that was walking away, far from where she was standing. However she immediately shook it off and replaced it with an awed smile. _Well, doesn't matter if he ignores you. At least you saw him today!_

Well, isn't this a twisted love story we all know how would end when it does?

Seconds passed before her seemingly difficult to get attention was recovered by the girl standing with crossed arms adjacent to her. Sejin cleared her throat loud. Yuhi instantly jumped out of her sentimental moment and turned to her company a bit surprised at first, then replaced with a sheepish laugh while rubbing the back of her hands. _Oh no, I'm gonna get lectured again._

The raven-haired pushed the bridge of her eyeglasses and raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, you being upset about him not talking to you is _absurd_."

"Eh!?" Yuhi was nervously surprised about the comment–her auburn orbs wide with shock. She blinked, and realized how her nerves overreacted. She just couldn't believe herself to be… upset. Yuhina–upset? Ha! Over a dead man's body! That sort of thing was nothing to her. "I'm not!" she exclaimed, but something in her tone told the world she was half believing herself to be. Yuhi fidgeted but kept that strained smile on her face, a sweat dropping from her temple. But she instantly recovered and bounced and held her hands lovingly against her chest. "He's soooo cool, right?"

And, again, unconvinced, Sejin stared at her in disbelief.

The auburn-haired girl waited for an answer, then she made a begging frustrated face. "Sejin, stop making that face! It makes me feel like a stupid person…" she trailed off, looking at the tiled floor.

Sejin sighed with a groan, standing straight and getting set. Making people feel stupid is the last thing she would ever want to do. "Just don't lie. It is _unpersuasive_," the raven-haired declared, walking past her and towards the 2-A classroom.

Yuhi followed. "You're harsh," she countered, trying to put up a disoriented face which she failed to do.

"I'm aware." It took a 360 degree turn to observe the perimeter of the room. It was kind of… neat. But Sejin knew Yuhi wouldn't be shaken by that. "Well, think of it as a bonus; at least he won't see you daydream and won't wonder what on earth has gotten into you." Sejin turned to the auburn-haired girl with a small pure smile on her face. In all honestly, Killua's attitude a while earlier struck a chord in her a little. It made her want to scream into his ear that there are _other people_ in the room aside from the Gon guy, himself, and his incredible ego. She didn't want to think ill of the white-haired boy, though, for Yuhi, but that was all what she could see in him at that moment. _At least the gel-coated haired Gon one was considerate._

An unexpected response was given by the bright-eyed girl. Yuhi beamed. "Wow, Sejin, you're so pretty when you smile!"

Sejin turned away, pushing the bridge of her glasses. "Don't joke around. Go to work."

Yuhi laughed. She knew it was coming, but that blushing face always amazed her in every way. She laughed again after poking the raven-haired girl in the ribs and immediately went to work. That airy aura stayed with her all the while, but a slight tingle of unwelcomed uncharacteristic blues would come to her. However she shook it all and smiled it off–trying so hard to ignore everything in her head. She even laughed at herself. _What am I thinking? It's not like we're even friends, pfft._

Then she sighs after. But immediately retracts–smiling and humming to herself while doing her work; thinking about wonderful things that could have happened a little while ago if she were to rule the earth.

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

A/N: Sooooo, here comes the long and pointless Author's Notes for everyone, yay! *throws confetti* Just so everyone knows, I have been meaning to publish this story since last January. Know why I haven't? It's because I've been battling my conscience about the KiruGon subtext - thinking that nobody's ever good enough for Killua other than Gon, and vice versa. See how much I lurv them? Lol But anyway, thanks to all of Killua's fangirls who adorably adore him, I regained the guts to continue.

A little explanation about ze little things... Firstly, I pulled the ages of the boys up because I strongly believe that 12 is just too young for romance (blame my conservative culture for that. hihi), and I needed them to be a little old enough to think maturely on some things, because the romance here will not stay fluffy until the end, no. Things will get rough. Secondly, of all places why a school? No reason. I just find it cute, that's all. *smiley* And lastly, I mostly used and will probably use Japanese names and honorifics in here, because, again, they sound cuter than anything. Haha!

This will be a long-shot. If you have read this, please, please, _please_ leave a review. _Please!_ LOL I need to know what you think or how you perceive the story. We all are budding writers, right? So let's help each other out. Critical criticism will be highly appreciated. Absolute bashing is welcome, but if pointless will not be tolerated.

Oh, there's another one. This story is pure puppy romance. I am quite doubtful about the humor genre but it definitely will be light and fun. Though I might add some darker things every now and then, of course, HAHA, we shall see what will bring us in the end :D

Ja, I'm done talking. Now let's hear what you have to say! Leave a review! Thanks you very much arigatou gozaimashita! (*^_^*)

_-special thanks to TaisaXChui for doing me a favor in giving a second opinion :)_


	2. Palpitation Is Not A Freaking Joke

A/N: Nyaaa~ askdjkdsk! Thanks so much to the people who reviewed, followed, and fave-d the story! You all are so awesome I want to give you trucks of chocolate right now. ^_^ I do hope you'd stay with me on this until the end. I have faith in you guys. No pressure. Lol. Thank you again! Here's the second chapter. Update will be weekly; in the least. Because I am a college student. That practically explains it all, right? Haha! Yeah, too much talking. Here goes...

_Doki = sound of a heartbeat_

DISCLAIMER: Gon and Killua are Togashi's children.

I love cheese. And corn. Do you like cheesy and corny stuff too? Kkk~

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER TWO**  
Palpitation Is Not A Freaking Joke**

_I am dead. I am so, so, so dead!_

It did not take even a millisecond for Yuhi to realize her incredibly dreadful situation. When she heard the words from her ever so awfully scholarly seatmate, it instantly clicked–the fact that she was going to be dead soon, sooner than a man about to be shot by a fast bullet. Her head and insides were a complete chaos, at war.

She forgot to do her science homework.

An expression of pure panic and agitation covered her then pale face. She was sweating really hard. _Ms. Irisa is going to bury me alive and put all sorts of names she could think of on my gravestone!_ No, science was a piece of sweet cake to our protagonist _back then_, but _now_, and with the brain-melting _Chemistry_, she's doomed. However, the precious period of time at that moment was the most absolute hope.

It was lunch break.

Yuhi immediately looked at the wall clock hanging at the very top-center of the chalkboard. It was 12:32PM. Classes resume at 1PM, the subject was to be Chemistry. _Yes, I can do this!_ She held her left arm in a tight fist before hoisting her pen, notebook, Chemistry book, and papers on her desk and started scribbling through all of them–the book for reference, the notebook for the given problems, and the papers for the solutions and final answers.

"Uh… Do you need help?" Sejin asked silently, looking indifferent. She had told Yuhi about all the possible things that could happen had she not done her homework, but the latter's brain seemed to have fried immediately after she reminded her of the science assignment.

The auburn-haired girl heard her seatmate. She shook her head instantly. "No, thanks. I can do this! My record's fast!"

The raven-haired sighed. _Well, good luck with that._ She took a swift glance at the clock before going back to reading her book for advanced lessons.

Yuhi's eyes were sparkling with determination and grit–irises shifting to and fro the four things on her desk, hands moving and writing in a speed of light. She was confident and very positive that she would finish the incredibly complicated problem-solving chemical elements… stuff; because she knew she remember them all–and with the help of the book and the formulas too. Yuhi nodded her head after finishing the first given. _You are done in less than ten minutes!_

. . .

* * *

"Ah, man…" A squeal of pure aggravation escaped Yuhi's throat silently. Her face had a twisted expression of despair and frustration and vexation and hopelessness as she straightened her body and raised both of her arms up as straight as a parallel line for the 5th time. She made the sound again and could only look down while the most embarrassing thing that happened 20 minutes before ran painful humiliating laps in her mind…

_XxxflashbackxxX_

"Is someone named Yuhi in this class!?"

Every student from class 2-B was cut away from their lunch-break endeavours and shot their heads directly at the door, where a black-haired boy suddenly appeared and shouted his question at the top of his lungs. Everyone blinked. But the boy was seriously anticipating for an answer with his innocent expression.

Crickets cried thrice before a syllable was emitted.

"Eh?"

And everyone turned their gazes towards the girl sitting on her desk by the window in the fourth row, her eyes were wide with curiosity, looking around and finding the person who mentioned her name. Apparently, since it was the lunch break and everyone was practically standing inside the room, she couldn't see a thing other than those pillar humans.

"She's here? Uwaa! I knew it!" the black-haired boy exclaimed, sounding glad–like glad about the fact that he found his long lost precious shirt that he's been looking for forever.

Everyone turned their surprised and astonished faces towards the boy at the door again, blinking, and wondering what on earth was happening.

"Geez, Gon, you don't need to shout, you know."

And as if it was practiced, the people inside the classroom leaned more to the right in unison to look at the person who then spoke without warning behind the black-haired boy.

The girl sitting in the far end of the fourth row blinked and clicked her pen. _Gon…?_ And the instant the name recoiled in her head, a different face came in. She stood up, tiptoeing to catch a sight of the person who was with Gon. But of course that's just an instant reflex; she was completely flabbergasted about Gon coming to see her. Confusion and glee filled her brain. I mean, of course she'd feel confused as to why the raven-haired boy looked for her, but the mere fact that the raven-haired boy was looking for her is totally awesome beyond words. Yuhi loved making friends. And Gon seemed to be a kind of person she would love to share fun times with–sometimes, probably; seldom times? Yeah, she needed to know why he was there first before happily thinking about making friends.

"But I've been looking for her all noon!" the energetic voice of the black-haired boy returned to the frame. The crowd shot their gazes back at him–faces dumbfounded, unfaltering. "Can I come in?" His voice was ecstatic.

The crowd blinked and just like it was practiced they nodded their heads to answer.

Gon's pure bright smile sent too much light inside the room–it was contagious. Everyone else returned it. "Thank you!" he sincerely exclaimed, bowing and looking for the Yuhi he was seeking. He was marching fast; his path was leading him towards where he heard the response from earlier.

Wide-eyed gazes followed his movements.

Yuhi stretched her neck and narrowed her eyes to spot the person–no, _two persons_ who were walking, apparently, towards her direction. Her rather short height didn't help at all. But alas, the moment she let her heels fall flat on the floor, the black-haired boy appeared in front of her with a huge amazed smile on his face, his eyes shining with the rays of the sun. Yuhi couldn't help but return a bright smile of her own–though confused. She looked around and found everyone waiting for their conversation. Yuhi doesn't really show it but she did not like a crowd's attention at all, ever. She needed to take this outside. _But when I come in they'll all look at me wondering what we talked about, huh–_

"Yuhi!"

Her thoughts were cut off by the boy's jump. She stood straight and stuttered. "Y-Yes!" Her answer was more like a military salutation.

"Do you remember me? I'm Gon!"

Yuhi nodded frantically. Ohh, talking with a rather well-known guy in school sure was making her all nervous and stuff, especially because she did not know why he was there. She had not prepared herself for Gon's speech and for her classmates… questions. _Am I in trouble?_ "Yes! Gon; I remember you!" Ha! Being nervous takes a hell lot of control over her pitch.

It's a good thing the raven-haired boy took it as a sign of enthusiasm. He beamed. "Great!"

The auburn-haired girl was amazed. Her lips voluntarily made a huge convex curve. Her eyes were bright wide. _I guess I'm not in trouble!_

"Ano… About yesterday–"

_Wait, what? Yesterday?_ Yuhi retracted inside her mind, recalling whatever it was that happened yesterday. _Yesterday… yesterday…_ She silently gasped, and suddenly remembered that Gon had company a little while earlier. She freaked and looked around to find something white. _What about yesterday? Did he find out about me…? His best friend… Did he see it in my eyes? Oh, geez, what to do?_

"–afternoon. After class, when you were standing at the door of our classroom–"

Yuhi was sure she would explode if ever Gon mentioned anything about the way she looked the day before while looking at his best friend. And Yuhi was sure she would be on the verge of fainting if ever Killua was the person who's with Gon today. Reason is because not a soul on earth, aside from Sejin, knew about her crushing on the white-haired boy. Yuhi nodded slowly and decided to focus on Gon, but she swore her chest was galloping of extreme thrill and tension at that moment. It doubled when she heard footsteps coming at them.

"Hey, Gon, it's almost time."

Yuhi gasped and turned her wide-eyed gaze towards the person who spoke.

"–I bumped into you. I'm sorry!"

The girl blinked while staring at another black-haired boy behind Gon. He had big ash eyes and a calmed, nice, bright face–but not as bright as Gon's. She returned her gaze towards the latter. Yuhi felt blood rushing through her cheeks. _T-That was embarrassing…_ –for her to expect it was something and someone else, that is. She then realized her position and smiled while shaking her head and waving her frantic shaking hands in front of Gon's waiting face. "N-No, that's fine! I'm totally fine! You didn't have to come here to apologize!" A sheepish laugh escaped her throat.

A sheepish laugh was returned by Gon, scratching his nape. "Yeah, well, I was worried because we met that way. I was kinda hoping for a proper introduction, you know."

"Oh…" Yuhi felt completely awed by the black-haired boy's words. _Yay, he's nice!_ She laughed and stretched out her hand. "Hi, I'm Yuhi!"

Gon beamed again and reached for a friendly shake. "I'm Gon! Nice to meet you!"

They both laughed at each other. Snickers and small giggles from the crowd echoed in the room. Then the bell rang. Gon waved his hand. "See you around!" He and his black-haired friend ran to the door while shooting each person in the room a look of acknowledgement.

Yuhi was still laughing with pure awe. She couldn't believe a person would be that good-natured. No, she didn't doubt Gon's friendly countenance at all. _He's soooo nice! He didn't have to come here but… he's so nice!_ Yuhi's chest was filled with absolute glee. Then she looked around, finding everyone looking at her–waiting, and giving her goofy smiles. She completely reddened and nervous reflexes got triggered. "I-It's not what you think!" she shouted. She could feel hot smoke come out of her ears because of extreme agitation. Not that she was giving meaning to Gon's visit, but because she knew her classmates were the ones doing that.

"What's not what we think?"

Suddenly, the air inside the classroom became intense. Everyone returned to their respective seats and fixed their uniforms and cleared their desks. Yuhi was left to stand erect and think of an answer to the slim middle-aged brown-haired lady who was walking towards the teacher's desk with graceful but solid strides.

"Uh…" Yuhi panicked. Her chest was galloping. She never was good in making up silly excuses for her actions. Nervous, she moved her hands to her back and fiddled with her fingers, not knowing where to look.

"Gon from class 2-A came to the class looking for Yuhi, Ms. Irisa. It was a friendly conversation, but of course it is only natural for everyone here to think otherwise for jests–that's the reason why you heard Yuhi say that it's not what we all think." Sejin was the one who answered.

Yuhi looked at her and smiled and mouthed a 'thank you'. But Sejin only cleared her throat and pushed the bridge of her glasses. A sweat dropped from Yuhi's forehead. _I'm screwed…_

Ms. Irisa nodded her head carefully and looked at Yuhi who nodded with a sheepish smile. The former sighed and sat down. Yuhi did the same. "Alright, Ms. Nagame, since you… _captured_ my special attention in the start of this afternoon, why don't you delight us with the fruit of your hard work I have given you all yesterday?" Her tone was gentle but it was completely sarcastic.

Yuhi then blinked. _What is she talking about?_ It's just then when everyone else in the room was hoisting their notes and books inside their bags that Yuhi came to recall the work she left. She instantly looked at her notes on her desk. _Number two isn't finished yet!_ Oh how crushed were her pride and ego at that time! She turned her gaze towards Ms. Irisa who was waiting for her to start with her deadly purple cat eyes. She dared not to look at her classmates for she knew they were looking at her too. She gulped. "I…"

"Ms. Nagame, please." Ms. Irisa gestured for her to go on.

Yuhi fought with her thoughts and finally decided that excuses won't ever work with this person. "I… didn't do my homework," she silently stated, looking down. Everyone shared silent gasps and whispers because of surprise. Honesty was new to them when it came to unfinished homework and forgotten projects.

"Oh?" the tone in the teacher's voice was a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Would you mind coming here, Yuhina, and telling me everything?"

The latter obeyed, avoiding eye contact with everyone else inside the room. She stood askew in front of her teacher, delighting herself with her shoes.

"Well?"

Yuhi took a deep breath and whispered; "I… I forgot to do my homework, Ms. Irisa. I'm sorry."

The latter nodded and crossed her arms against her chest, leaning her back on her chair. "Oh, you forgot?" she asked aloud, as if purposely letting the whole class hear her reason.

Yuhi nodded and just wished the torture would end already. Oh, how badly she wanted to run off to the sea and let her forgetful brain be washed away by the tides at that moment.

Ms. Irisa leaned more to her right to call the attention of everyone in the class. "Did any of you also forget to do the homework?" Some went stiff, looking from left to right and waiting for someone to answer. However some only sighed and shook their heads disbelievingly. She narrowed her eyes towards the group of delinquent boys and girls. "No?" They looked at each other before frantically shaking their heads. "Okay," the purple-eyed woman noted before turning her gaze back at the girl in front of her. She stood up and motioned Yuhi towards the door. "Come with me, Ms. Nagame."

The auburn-haired bit her lip and followed. _Ah, man…_

_Xxxflashback-endxxX_

Puffed cheeks covered Yuhi's face as she continued to look down, letting the sane and rational part of her brain scold her lazy and forgetful ones. She had a feeling that those lazy and forgetful parts of her brain looked like her face at that time. She was honestly repenting and had accepted her mistake with all her heart. But repenting wasn't enough to escape from the punishment her teacher reasonably gave her.

Yuhi was to stand on the far end of the hallway, with both of her arms raised up until the period ends–the usual and normal punishment teachers practice in the school for tardy students.

Her throat once again released a silent whining sound. She had been standing there for over 20 minutes now, so that means… _40 minutes more?_ Yuhi sighed in defeat and nodded to herself, eyes starting to return to its usual brightness. _This is nothing. I deserved this._ Then after a minute of concentration and self-motivation, she sighed, and looked disheartened again. It was not in Yuhi's nature to complain about things. But darn, raising your arms up for one whole hour was seriously not a joke. It is painful, and Yuhi's shoulders were starting to hurt. She even faced the window to find something distracting from outside. Though it helped, it helped only a little. _Sleeping in class is so much better than forgetting to do my homework. At least the punishment's…_

Her train of thoughts trailed off after a pair of somnolent cerulean eyes appeared in her mind, and magically followed by that distinct white fluffy hair and pale ivory skin to make up a face. A smile spread across her face. Yuhi closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, battling with her brain on what curve his lips should make. _The usual?_ Yuhi mentally drew a single small line under the face's nose for lips. She shrugged in delight and felt like giggling. Yuhi loved seeing Killua with his normal doesn't-care-a-thing-in-the-world expression. _How about a smile?_ She replaced the small line with a semi convex curve and mentally stared at the picture. She sighed of complete bedazzlement. Yuhi also loved to see Killua smile too. Sure she had seen the boy grin and laugh with Gon or with other friends at sometime, but she'd give anything for a glance of Killua's pure smile.

For minutes she delighted herself with the boy's face and her precious encounter with his best friend, Gon, earlier. Because though she was completely embarrassed by what had happened, she was happy she gained an awesome friend that day. It didn't matter if he was the best friend of the love of her life–well, maybe it mattered a little, but nonetheless Gon was still a nice person so it was a great feeling being able to talk to him and in that kind of situation too! Yuhi laughed silently after remembering their acquaintance a little while earlier. _He sure is a weird one, in a good kind of way._ Yuhi started humming to herself while flexing her shoulders. Not thinking about her arms gave her comfort. She turned away from the window to look at the time. It has been 30 minutes then. Another wide goofy smile spread across her face. _Progress~_ she sang.

And just then she started hearing footsteps from behind her. Cocking her head to the side, she turned around to see who it was. But she immediately gasped and turned towards the window again after naming the person.

Her homeroom teacher; it was Mr. Yama, coming out of room 2-A.

Yuhi prayed Mr. Yama would spare her a lecture at that time. Her four-eyed homeroom teacher seeing her walking through the hallway alone with Ms. Irisa from class 2-A room was worse enough. She was sure Mr. Yama had told every single being about her _impeccable_ habit of sleeping in class and probably added his theories about why Ms. Irisa monopolized her 30 minutes ago. _My pride's completely ruined._ Yuhi listened and waited.

A step. Four sequence of steps. Door sliding shut. Mr. Yama mumbling something about school rules. A series of footsteps towards her direction. _There were two people._ Footsteps getting closer. Her own pulse beating faster. Footsteps getting closer and closer. Footsteps directly about 6 feet from where she was standing. Footsteps halting.

"Stay here until the period ends. Don't do anything unruly. This is for students, who do not do their school requirement, to think about what they did. I sure hope you'd learn after this."

Yuhi blinked and fought with her thoughts about whether or not she should look at the person who Mr. Yama was talking stuff Ms. Irisa talked to her about earlier–to know who she shared the same sentiments with at that time. Curiosity prevailed, and she decided to turn around. However a hand stopped her from moving.

"You're free to chat with my star student here if you wish." Mr. Yama's tone was calmly sarcastic, just like Ms. Irisa's. He laughed. "But of course don't talk about becoming partners in indolent crime, alright?" The students were silent. Mr. Yama ended his pointless speech by clearing his throat. "I'll come back in 30 minutes."

Yuhi released the air from her puffed cheeks and sighed. _Mr. Yama never fails to introduce me as his star student to every being in the world._ She slightly smiled, a sweat dropping from her temple. _I might get famous if he does that often, ne._ Teachers were sure shaking her mood for the day, but she threw the bad thoughts off the window. At least now she has company! Yuhi smiled her brightest and turned her excited gaze to the right, ready to start a conversation. "H–"

But there was no one there. She blinked.

"This is stupid," a tired voice mumbled.

_There!_ Yuhi's giddiness never left her countenance all the while turning her gaze fast to her left with that smile on her face. "H–" But again, she paused; because she couldn't believe who she was seeing. Her heart started racing in abnormal beats, her chest felt like it was about to explode, her pulses sounded like drums behind her ears, and her lungs felt like they were drowning, choking.

Ah, it could have been some annoying bully who'd tease and threaten her, right? She could have just been nervous and scared, right? Do you agree?

But Yuhi pictured colourful fireworks dancing in the background at that time. Her joints grew weak as well. She wanted to faint or melt, but she couldn't. She couldn't shun away from the hypnotizing blue eyes that stared back at her. Her fast flowing blood gave tingling chills on every tiny nerve she had in her body. It all was like slow motion, and a freaking girl's dream come true, for crying out loud.

It was Killua. The precious angelic white-haired boy with intense tantalizing deep-blue eyes cool-aired Killua. Killua Zoldyck, for Pete's sake, it was Killua.

Subconscious, Yuhi smiled purely wide and mentally thanked the heavens for the golden moment. It could've been anyone else, but Yuhi swore it was divine intervention. It could've picked a different setting as well, but the bright empty hallway where only the two of them were present, with the sunlight illuminating Killua's whole being perfectly and making him look even more like an angel, and with him staring at her and her staring back, with an instrumental music playing inside her head, was absolutely precious. Yuhi wanted to savour the moment.

But the moment was cut short by the white-haired boy who looked away and closed his eyes, stretching his arms and crossing them comfortably behind his head. He vaulted on the window seat and rested his back on the glass.

After a few seconds Yuhi got back on earth. She realized her aching jaws and released her smile instantly, blood rushing to her cheeks fast. She gulped, and pressed her lips together, and looked down, and looked around, and looked out the window, and glanced at Killua, and sighed, and smiled. Yuhi just didn't know what to do with her life at that moment. She didn't know what position she should make, what posture she should stand in, how to control her fast beating pulse, how to breathe properly; because in all honestly the punishment was taking its toll on her by the minute and everything just felt awkward. Here Killua was sitting comfortably on the window pane and her, standing erect with raised arms–it was… weird.

Yuhi then decided to fix herself one by one. First she needed to calm her freaking self. She needed to think that Killua was just like any other boy in school, like those people who she could easily talk to without palpitating and blushing. Yuhi concentrated. But no, Killua wasn't like any of them. She dropped the thought and just focused on calming down. The auburn-haired closed her eyes and took deep breaths through her mouth. She smiled after. It surprisingly worked!

"Is that guy your homeroom teacher?"

–but only for a millisecond. Yuhi's heartbeat galloped like a gazillion horses were running inside her chest. She instantly turned her gaze up the white-haired boy but found him too dazzling. She removed her eyes from his face, not knowing where to look. But she needed to give an answer, so without much preparation she released a sound; "Y–" but her dry throat cut her short. She swallowed liquid and immediately answered; "Ye–s" but her pounding chest made her choke on her own saliva. She coughed then cleared her throat. Her cheeks were scorching hot. Yuhi took a deep breath and looked outside the window. "Yes."

Finally.

Killua only winced and returned back to acting like he was napping again. "He's no fun," he mumbled under his breath.

Yuhi giggled, and silently laughed and nodded. "Yeah," she replied, not knowing that she did. Then by realization she turned her gaze towards the white-haired boy again to see his facial response. But she ended up shutting her mouth and silently coughing.

The white-haired boy had his left eye open, looking at Yuhi. He observed with indifference, how she reacted. Then after seconds of staring, he opened both of his jaded looking eyes and silently muttered, "No one's watching."

_Huh?_ Yuhi blinked, and stared with wide eyes directly at Killua's blue ones. The latter's words hit her like a bolt of lightning and it made all of her veins throb frantically like fast beating drums were implanted inside her body.

"Your arms. Aren't they numbing already?"

Swallowing a chunk of liquid was necessary. Yuhi's cheeks were so hot she could fry eggs in them and they'd cook fast. It just felt like every little thing she did and thought was being taped and aired for the whole universe to see. She mentally cursed her brain. Controlling her breathing, she realized their topic, felt her shoulders and flexed them a little. They were slightly painful. "…Not much," she muttered, taking up the courage to smile at him to try and look convincing.

But all Killua did was stare at her nonchalantly.

Yuhi pressed her lips together and led her eyes from his face. Killua made her feel so uncomfortable and nervous and happy and whatever at that time. She didn't know. This made her heart race even more. It's just then when she was feeling the intensity of the known gaze that she decided to break it. "W-Why?" She stuttered!

"No one's even watching," he noted again, shrugging. His eyes never left hers.

Another blush crashed her cheeks. Yuhi looked away to hide her face. She was so nervous. She hadn't talked to him like this before, you see, and Killua wasn't just an ordinary person in Yuhi's life–Killua was the _angel_ Killua for her. So there you go. "I… uh–" She turned her gaze up to her own arms. "It's my punishment."

After a few seconds Killua let out a sound of sanction from his throat. He returned to closing his eyes and sitting comfortably on the window pane.

A sigh of relief escaped Yuhi's lips. It was a good thing Killua closed his eyes. At least then she didn't have to be all nervous and conscious about her every word and movement. But Killua's words shook her tenacity. She hadn't resisted to any punishment before, ever–let alone violate any by not finishing or doing them. It just doesn't feel right. Yet for a moment she thought of giving up and letting her arms fall. Maybe she was just waiting for someone to tell her to do what she was forcing her mind not to think about.

_No_, she firmly thought. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she clenched her hands into tight fists. But instantly she removed them, feeling the pressure from the veins of her palms run through her arms and swollen shoulders. She opened her eyes and looked at the white-haired boy sitting on the window seat. She sighed in both awe and slight bitterness. _How could he just sit there looking like the most perfect person in the world and not feel guilty about not doing what he's been told to?_

And just then Killua slightly opened his left eye that was directly shot at Yuhi.

The latter's breathing suddenly became fast. She instantly looked away, blushing hard. _Please don't talk. Please don't talk._

The clocked ticked for another minute. And the auburn-haired girl took this chance to look at the time–both to glance at her white-haired companion and to see how many more minutes she had to endure the pain. Yuhi again sighed of relief. Killua was back to his napping mode. But her face immediately had a twisted disbelieving expression when she glanced at the time. Only 10 minutes had passed since Mr. Yama left! _20 minutes more!_ Yuhi took a deep breath and nodded to swallow everything in. Her arms were failing. She tried raising them high again but her muscles couldn't do it anymore. She frowned, and turned her gaze towards her companion.

Temptation; that was it.

She was so tempted, so tempted to drop her arms and relax like what Killua was doing. Her brain started showing pictures of herself curling in a bed and not caring about a thing in the world. She sighed, looked down and closed her eyes in dismay.

Slightly opening his eyes again to peek at the girl standing quite askew at his left, Killua raised an eyebrow, waiting for the strange auburn-haired girl to drop her arms already. He knew she was going to give up soon, but he wondered how on earth she could do that for a span of more than 30 minutes. The white-haired boy saw the girl walk past their classroom at the very start of the afternoon class. He didn't care much, though, but an ordinary girl couldn't have done such task that required concentration and strong stamina. Killua waited.

The girl's arms were slowly lowering down–slowly, slowly–until they fell sluggishly to her sides.

The former grimaced and started setting his head comfortably against his palms. He closed his eyes once more, but opened one again when he wasn't feeling any movement from his auburn-haired companion. The girl was just standing there like her soul had been cashed out of her body. Again curiosity filled the white-haired boy's brain. He waited.

The girl's body started swaying like a piece of cloth hanging in the air. A slight jolt ran through his fingertips. He had a feeling she was going to faint on the spot, but Killua, unshaken from his position, waited again.

The girl stopped swaying. Killua let air out through his nose. His curiosity grew. _What are you gonna do now?_ And just then he noticed her change of posture. She was standing straight, bringing her palms to her cheeks and taking a deep breath. This time Killua had opened both of his eyes. Strangely enough, the girl tucked her hair behind her ears and started squeezing her earlobes. Killua stared in disbelief. _What the hell is she doing?_

Yuhi flexed her shoulders and stared out the window with a sigh. She had done it. She had violated the punishment. Guilt filled her chest but she knew she couldn't do anything. Her own body gave up on her. But thank heavens she forced herself to stay awake. She wouldn't want Killua to come to her rescue again and think of her as some unknown damsel in distress. Yuhi blinked and adjusted her eyes to its usual brightness. Then she felt eyes on her. Skipping a heartbeat she turned her gaze towards the white haired boy, and her senses all shot wide awake. He was looking at her, but with a quizzical, disbelieved look on his face. This made blood rush back to Yuhi's cheeks. She gaped inwardly. _Why does everything I do look embarrassing!?_ Reflexes dictated her action. She gave him a sheepish smile.

But Killua only looked away, closing his eyes.

Yuhi wanted to cry. _Could this day get any more awkward?_ With a pout Yuhi stepped forward and turned around, leaning her back on the wall and fiddling with her fingers.

Seconds of silence commenced. And seconds became minutes in a nick of time. The air seemed stiff and so dry. It choked our dear protagonist. A lot of things were in her mind at that time; the door of their classroom, her agility, the clock, the things that might happen had she been caught. All of the negative things were making her dizzy, but the serene silent moment between her and the white-haired boy somehow calmed her nerves down. Though it made her pulse throb hard against her skin, she liked the feeling of Killua's presence on her right side–it was warm… yet cold at the same time. Yuhi couldn't tell. She didn't want to get caught by anyone sitting next to Killua in an empty hallway, but she didn't want the time to end so quickly.

Then all of a sudden, the sound of a door being slammed shut echoed in the room.

Yuhi straightened up, not knowing what to do. _Uh-oh, I was too comfortable._ Her gaze instantly shot ahead, staring with horror at Mr. Yama's angry-figure. She panicked, so she couldn't move a single muscle. The former stood in front of her with his arms crossed against his chest, narrowing his eyes to and fro Yuhi and Killua.

Silence.

"…What did I tell you about not becoming partners in indolent crime?" the teacher carefully asked with a sharp piercing voice.

Yuhi gulped. She was so sure Mr. Yama was looking at her while saying that. Her heart beat fast–but it was the bad kind. She decided to speak. "I–"

"We aren't partners," Killua retorted calmly, jumping off the window pane and placing his hands inside his pockets. He stepped forward and stood alongside Yuhi, facing Mr. Yama.

The latter nodded his head slowly to fake an understanding. Again he looked at Yuhi and Killua simultaneously before raising a finger. "I assume you had a pleasant time resting here, didn't you, Mr. Zoldyck?"

For a second the addressed stiffened. He looked at Mr. Yama with a glare. He wanted to beat the crap out of the annoying four-eyed teacher. But instead he looked away, accepting his defeat. "Yeah…" he confessed.

"Really now?" Mr. Yama nodded again and stared at Killua, reading him, before turning his gaze towards Yuhi who instantly looked down. "And as for you, young miss, as your homeroom teacher, I may be able to give a hand to Ms. Irisa about this. This is surprising. You were always so obedient."

Yuhi's eyebrow twitched. She didn't know if that was a compliment or not. But her position was nerve-racking. She wanted so badly for Mr. Yama to scoot back into the room, but she didn't want to think that. It was her fault after all for giving up so fast. The auburn-haired girl nodded her head slowly.

After a set of disbelieved glares, Mr. Yama turned to walk towards his homeroom, class 2-B. From a distance the two students watched him–one looking annoyed and the other looking worried. There then came out the slim purple-eyed lady, looking at the students' direction while discussing something with the male teacher.

The auburn-haired girl looked down.

Killua turned his gaze at her.

"Ten minutes children."

Both turned their eyes towards the raven-haired teacher in front of them.

Mr. Yama pushed back the bridge of his glasses. "Raise your arms for ten minutes more, and after that, you're spared. It's only fair, right?"

Blood ran up the white-haired boy's head. _No, it isn't fair._ He decided to retort. "B–"

"Yes, sir!" Yuhi answered, looking firm on her word.

Killua looked at her with furrowed eyebrows.

The teacher nodded and raised a finger. "_Don't_ slack around this time. I'm watching you." His eyes were directly shot at Killua.

The boy resisted the urge to roll his eyes by closing them and looking away.

"Well? _Go_," Mr. Yama ordered silently, not moving from his spot.

Yuhi immediately raised her arms in the air. Killua did the same after releasing a tired sigh.

It took about 20 seconds before Yama left for his class, leaving the two students in the hallway.

The first 3 minutes commenced in silence. Again the white-haired boy had a cool and calmed air. His eyes were closed and he was standing normally though his arms were raised.

However, on the other side, the auburn-haired girl was struggling. Her shoulders started to ache and her arms started to fail. Yuhi hadn't recovered yet. Her arms were lowering by themselves by the minute and her muscles couldn't seem to raise them back up anymore. She started to concentrate. _I can do this. It's only 10 minutes. I've done more than that._ "Ah…" A silent sound escaped her throat. Her arms lowered another inch again and the pressure hurt her tendons. She closed her eyes with a twisted expression, praying she could last for 6 more minutes.

The clock ticked. Her arms lowered again.

Another minute and another inch lost. It came to the point where Yuhi's hands were at level with her head. Her muscles were giving up and there's still time left on the clock. All she could do was bow her head and close her eyes. Her spine doesn't look good as well. She sighed.

And just then, warm slim fingers wrapped tight around her right wrist and started lifting her arm up. With wide eyes Yuhi turned her gaze towards the right, finding out that the hand belonged to the serious looking Killua. She couldn't contemplate her emotions.

The blue orbs of Killua shifted from the air to Yuhi's auburn ones. "Hang on. I don't want to put up with this stupid rough treatment again," he mumbled, and returned to his previous position; but without removing his grip on the girl's wrist.

Blood delighted its stay in Yuhi's cheeks. And as if hypnotized, she nodded slowly. Then slowly looked down when the white-haired boy removed his eyes from her. She couldn't help but smile. She bit her lower lip to avoid smiling too widely like a happy, happy puppy. Her pulses were beating fast. She wanted to vomit her heart out at that time because it pounded so fast and intense against her lungs. Oh how hard she prayed that Killua wouldn't feel her emotions through the racing pulse in her wrist at that time. But that didn't matter much. Yuhi knew she could last until this thing ends.

But she felt a pang of embarrassment. Of all circumstances why did she have to appear weak now? Though she appreciates the action, Yuhi didn't want to burden Killua. And the latter had not removed his hand around her wrist. The touch was starting to feel tensed–at least for her. She turned her gaze at the clock and had her jaws dropping. _5 more minutes?_ Well, it felt more than that. _Five more minutes. Okay._ It was a bittersweet feeling. Man, your wrist being held by someone you like is a completely remarkable thing! Yuhi should be rejoicing, right? But another part of her was thinking about what Killua might think of her; of course, because they only talked for the first time then. What if Killua would think that she's a pain he'd have to endure for 5 more minutes?

Yuhi decided to finally speak. "Uh…" No, her throat was blocked. She needed to clear it. "H-Hey…" she muttered so silently and turned her gaze to the white-haired boy, feeling uncharacteristically nervous and shy.

Killua heard her. He opened his jaded eyes to look.

The auburn haired instantly turned her eyes away when she met his gaze. She gulped and inhaled. "I'm fine. You don't need to do that…" she trailed off and thanked the heavens for the courage. She waited. But there was no immediate response. Yuhi looked at Killua then looked away again. He was looking back with his usual doesn't-care-a-thing-in-the-world expression. Her heart started skipping beats… again. After a few seconds of courage-building she returned her gaze at him. Then she felt her right arm dropping to her side. Yuhi inwardly gasped and eyed her sluggish right hand that hung from her shoulder as if it was some artificial thing that she couldn't control. She tried raising it but to no avail. She really couldn't move it.

"Like I said, I don't want to do this stupid punishment again so just stand still and don't say anything." It was a silent, tired, annoyed tone, but Killua followed his sentence with the same action he did earlier on. He grabbed Yuhi's wrist and raised her numb right arm again.

The latter was left stunned, and with a racing heartbeat. The auburn-haired looked down and muttered, "Sorry."

Killua looked away, closing his eyes. "I said don't say anything," he silently replied.

Silence then ensued and it continued until the time ended.

When it did, Killua lowered Yuhi's arm and placed it with such gentleness to her side–which earned another heart-racing and blushing moment for the auburn-haired girl. Mr. Yama appeared on the doorway of class 2-A, as well as Ms. Irisa from 2-B. The white-haired boy placed his hands inside his pockets, ready to leave.

But to Yuhi's surprise he wasn't stepping forward yet. She waited, with a rather hopeful feeling building up in her chest. A feeling she didn't know why was there in the first place.

"I guess you can walk to the clinic by yourself," the white-haired boy muttered the sentence like a question without turning his gaze towards the person he was talking to.

The auburn-haired girl was surprised and a slow nod and a silent "Yes…" was all she could answer. Yuhi didn't know what that meant, but it gave her a good feeling. A pure comfortable smile spread across her lips while staring with awe at the back of Killua who walked away without a word. Every bad thing that had happened just disappeared. And she had a feeling that she would bring the amazing feeling of that moment throughout the day. Or even throughout the weekend.

Everything was a wonderful slow motion, but it was all cut short when Mr. Yama and Ms. Irisa appeared in the frame–walking towards her direction. Yuhi then cleared her throat and stood straight. Her arms were numb but the clinic can wait. She resisted the urge to smile again when the word 'clinic' went past her thoughts. The teachers were nearing and she needed to redeem herself. Mr. Yama was their next teacher.

The subject was math.

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_Thanks to AKatsinTcups, Ms. Hatter, and Someone for reviewing! A review is not easy to gain especially in this kind of story concept so thank you so much, guys! Thanks also to the people who followed and that one person who fave-d. Hihi. I have been receiving alerts so don't you worry. I know who you guys are. Arigatou!_

Please don't forget to leave a review on this! Leave a review! Reviewwww! Gihi *^^*


	3. The Power Of Chance

A/N: Hello, beautiful people! Here's your third chapter. And your chocolates. And Killua, if you want. Lol. I'm kidding. Killua is for Yuhi in this story. Jii~ Sorry, Gon. XD Again and again and again, thank you all for the continued support! For the new readers, welcome! Thank you so much. I am blushing. *pukes* Haha! No, really, thank you!

_Doki = sound of a heartbeat_

Disclaimer: I am in love with Kurapika. Ahem. (just so to clear any misunderstandings lol)

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER THREE  
**The Power Of Chance**

The weekend went by swiftly and as normal as any other weekend in Tomo. But for our auburn-haired protagonist, the weekend seemed brighter and happier and livelier. She couldn't help but go out and feel the fresh breeze of nature against her face. The recovery of her arms took only a good night's sleep. But her case was quite serious said the nurse. Her guardian, Roroturo, even attempted to go and sue the teachers for what they have done to his precious kid. The other teachers were worried sick and the head of the school called on Ms. Irisa and Mr. Yama to inquire about what happened to Yuhi. Because of the effect of the punishment to her arms, she was sent home early that Friday with Sejin, the class president, as her company.

Everyone even asked how she was doing with concerned eyes, but Yuhi looked okay beyond anything. She didn't mind her swollen arms that much, because she was used to that kind of thing, and because something else magical had happened. The auburn-haired girl couldn't help but smile whenever she remembers her encounter with her white-haired angel. It made her mood as bright and gleeful as it ever was.

And it continued until another week came. It was Monday, and though busy with school and all, Yuhi hoped to see Killua again. She couldn't help but wish it, because the presence of the white-haired boy alone–be it close or distant–was the ultimate energy booster. Just a single short glance of him was enough to make up her entire day. And this time, she was determined to speak to him and give her sincerest thanks.

"Can't teachers give work to other students? There are more than 30 of us in this class. I'm not the only one," Sejin mused with pure irritation as she fixed her desk–her desk filled with exam papers on History the teacher gave for her to check. She paused when she received no reply and turned her gaze to her left. A sigh escaped her throat. "Yuhi, I'm not going to tell you about daydreaming again but your case is the worst, I think."

But the addressed remained unaltered. She even shrugged in delight as she scribbled through her notebook with a smile on her face.

The raven-haired girl pushed the bridge of her glasses and leaned over to her seatmate's desk–checking what's keeping her busy.

. . .

_**KILLUA**_

Sejin couldn't help but roll her eyes. _How many more pages she'd have to use to write his name in?_ "Yuhina, you're wasting ink, paper, and effort." She'd tell her to stop being childish but that might be too offensive.

"Have you ever wondered why an angel's face was given a name like this?" Yuhi finally spoke, running her small fingers through the name she wrote on the last page of her notebook.

"Have you ever wondered why you even bothered to care about this?" Sejin immediately retorted, looking indifferent.

After a pause, the auburn-haired lass turned and looked at her seatmate–a huge grin spreading across her face. "Does that mean I care about him too much?"

Sejin's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you acting like a naïve person? Because I'm not buying it."

Yuhi let air out of her nose and retracted with a small smile, leaning her back on her chair. "I just wanted to know, you know. He's so… reserved." She then looked out the window. And a big _thump_ in the chest was the trigger. Killua was there outside the courts with Gon and their other friends, sharing laughs and friendly pranks with each other.

Doki.

Biting her lip was necessary. She didn't want anyone to see her looking at Killua and subconsciously smiling wide. Her feelings for him should remain a secret. She didn't want a fight with the world–the crowded world of her girl friends' affection for him. So, with every blink she took pictures of the boy's laughing expression and restored them in her memory bank; thinking of how precious his smiles must be. Yuhi sighed in awe. _No wonder all the girls like you._

On the other side, Sejin released a small smile and shook her head while returning her gaze to her messy desk. Even though she always gave Yuhi lectures on expectations and things concerning girls and boys she read in some books, seeing her friend bright and happy made her comfortable. The raven-haired only cared for Yuhi's welfare. And she was impressed by what the latter told her the previous Friday about how the Killua boy 'helped' Yuhi keep up with the brutal punishment she herself finds ridiculous. That made up for his horrible attitude towards them the day before that.

The bell then rang. Lunch was over.

Yuhi buried herself in her seat, scribbling circles and lines around Killua's name on her pad. _Science's next._ A small smile played on her lips. She felt that she'd be extremely timid around Ms. Irisa after what had happened. But she did the homework her female teacher gave to make up for the period she'd lost. She just hoped it would earn her points in the lady's good conduct list–at least just a little.

In all honesty, she of course felt bad about the fact that her teachers practically got scolded by the school's head because of her.

"Yuhi, principal's calling for you."

And as though someone electrocuted her, Yuhi instantly sat straight and closed her notebook, and hid it under her desk in a speed of light. She turned her gaze to the person who spoke and smiled at him. Her pulse raced for a second. _I could've been caught!_ "Yes, Suno-kun?"

The boy with short brown hair furrowed his thick eyebrows as he watched his classmate's weird movements. "Principal's calling you."

Yuhi fixed her notebook and buried it in the lower-most part of her bag. "Why?"

Suno shrugged. "Don't know." Then he stretched his neck to look at what Yuhi was doing. "What do you have there?"

Blood ran up the latter's cheeks. She turned to face the boy and waved her hands frantically in front of his waiting face. "N-Nothing! Don't ask me anything!" She laughed quite obviously in a sheepish way and stood up. "I'm going."

The brown-haired boy grinned teasingly. "Hehh… Is it about that Gon guy from 2-A?"

Yuhi's eyes grew wide. She laughed hysterically and quite strongly slapped the boy's arm. "I told you that's nothing." She then turned to Sejin with a begging face and mouthed 'please, my bag' before walking out of the room and leaving a laughing classmate.

Smoke made of pure embarrassment came out of Yuhi's ears the moment she stepped out of their room. _They still couldn't get over it._ She started walking. _What's so wrong about a friendly visit?_

Realizing that she was walking along the hallway where the room of 2-A was, she took a swift glance through the glass window from the corridor side. And there she instantly saw that dreamy white hair with its owner, looking out at the horizon, while everyone's intently listening to the teacher. She couldn't help but giggle before hopping down the stairs and towards the principal's office. _If only they knew…_

* * *

The school's head was a big man in his mid-50s, with gray hair and a nice looking small smile ever so present on his face. He was always good with students and teachers and talks with a calm and warm tone in his voice. Yuhi liked Mr. Chango very much–and not just because he always inquired about the students, but because he's just so nice and light-headed to everybody.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Chango. Suno said you called for me?" the auburn-haired girl greeted with a smile on her face as she entered the office.

The man turned from writing something on a piece of paper and towards the student. "Yes. How have you been child?"

For a second Yuhi thought the principal's going to give her a memo there. But the soft tone in the man's voice gave her ease. "I'm great!" she declared cheerily, shaking her arms. "See?"

Mr. Chango released an airy husky chuckle. "That's good to hear." He then leaned back, gesturing to the chair in front of his table. "Have a seat, please."

A slight rush of nervousness ran through the student's spine. She obediently complied. _Am I in trouble?_

But it turned out that the man only intended for a chat about the teachers in school–probably getting a feedback from a student. He had told Yuhi that Ms. Irisa would not be attending class that day because she's ill. And he even joked about how quick karma does to people to the student–which the latter found quite harsh, and defended for the lady teacher's human rights in her own understanding. The old man laughed everything off and told the child that he was only trying to get into kids' way of talking.

After a short 3 minutes of conversation, Mr. Chango motioned Yuhi to go back to their room and announce the news about the science teacher's absence. "Also announce the homework Ms. Irisa left for you to read and please do tell your president to monitor the class while there's no teacher, alright?"

The auburn-haired girl smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir!" She then headed towards the door, grabbing the doorknob.

The principal replied another airy chuckle and leaned back on his seat. Glancing at the pile of papers on his desk, he instantly called Yuhi back.

The latter, who was halfway out the door, turned around with quizzical eyebrows to Mr. Chango. "Yep?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot. But can you bring these important files upstairs?"

Yuhi returned to her usual optimistic face while walking back to the table. "Sure! Where would I bring them?" she asked, pulling the papers in her hands.

Mr. Chango smiled. "Thank you. Please bring these to Mr. Yama. I believe he's in 2-A right now."

_Heh–?_ And for a millisecond, Yuhi's world stopped spinning. She froze.

"Don't worry, child. You won't be interrupting his class. Tell him those are the files I needed to give him at lunch." The principal then gestured his hand for the student to move along.

The auburn-haired girl took the pile in her arms but her expression remained blank. "I'll be giving these to Mr. Yama… right now?" she silently asked–sounding as though the question was meant for her to answer.

The man nodded. "Yes, please, right now."

A slight perfectly hideous mix of glee and agitation combated inside Yuhi's chest. She was normally subtle about bringing something to a teacher currently in class, but she felt… nervous or some sort.

"…Yuhina?"

A snap back into reality.

The addressed stood straight and blinked before nodding firm and exclaiming "It'll be delivered, Mr. Chango!" with a solid face.

The auburn-haired girl then walked through the hallways and up the stairs, carrying a pile of papers in her hands with her eyes on the ground. Many things swarmed in her head like a flock of flies was in there. She was thinking about where she'd look upon entering the room, how she should cope with the crowd if ever Mr. Yama 'introduced' her again, how fast she should walk upon leaving, and how her expression should be. Yuhi's shyness before a crowd was increasing by the minute. And… _Killua is in there._ She didn't know what she'd look like in front of the class when her gaze falls upon the white-haired boy. Yuhi pursed her lips and nodded to herself. _Then don't look at him, pfft._ She reached the second floor and walked through the hallway with slow strides, trying to focus. And just as instantly–

_Oof!_

Yuhi carelessly bumped into a person, making her lose control of the pile in her arms. The papers scattered on the floor. With wide eyes not leaving the pieces on the floor, the auburn-haired hurriedly apologized as she crouched down and started picking them up on by one. Her eyebrows were creased ever so worriedly. _I'm screwed if these were sorted. _And just then, a hand appeared in her vision, also collecting the papers from the floor. Naturally she'd smile and apologize to the person for helping her out, but the files sent by the principal occupied her consciousness.

Hoisting the last paper on the floor, Yuhi shifted her weight to her right leg and placed the piece on top of the pile in her arms. The person, who she guessed was the one who she bumped into, handed her the pieces he collected. Yuhi took them. "Thank you," she sincerely stated without averting her eyes from the papers. Standing up she fixed her uniform. A sheepish smile spread across her face as she readied herself for the apology. She looked up. "S–"

But no one's there.

The smile on her face disappeared as Yuhi looked around, only to find herself alone in the hallway. She decided to turn around, and there she saw walking slowly, with his back facing her, and with his hands naturally placed inside his pockets.

_White hair…_

Doki.

It was Killua.

What are the chances?

Yuhi stared with surprise written all over her face. Her heart raced. _Is this why cliché's are always present in stories; because they really do happen in real life?_ A dreaming smile slowly paved its way across Hina's face. She shrugged in awe and embraced her arms–feeling throb against her chest the pile of papers Mr. Chango asked her to bring to Mr. Yama–

A pause.

Reality came back. Yuhi then straightened up and cleared her throat, shaking the thoughts away and replacing it with a straight face, as she strode towards class 2-A.

Three knocks and she slid the door open. Gazes from some people inside the room shifted to the door. Yuhi immediately approached the teacher's table where Mr. Yama seated behind. Apparently they were having an activity. _Good timing, Mr. Chango._

"Ah!"

Everyone's gazes then turned towards the person who exclaimed quite enthusiastically, seated in the second row near the windows.

The auburn-haired girl paused midway and turned her head.

A glistening pair of honey brown eyes met her auburn ones. The spiky-haired boy's smile was from ear to ear. "Yuhi!"

An equal reaction was instantly replaced by the addressed. Yuhi beamed, and waved a hand at him.

Gon did the same and leaned back on his seat as he watched the auburn-haired girl hand the papers she was holding to their math teacher.

_Well, that was nice._ Yuhi felt like running to Gon and talking to him all day. She was just so optimistically ecstatic for meeting a person who rather… surpasses her giddy mood. It made her want to bounce in delight and awe–made her feel that being so enthusiastic is not a bad thing at all. She turned to the teacher. "Mr. Chango sent these for you, Mr. Yama."

The addressed fixed his glasses as he looked at the pile that was in his student's hands.

The latter placed it on the table and waited for Mr. Yama to send her off. She then turned her gaze towards the class slowly, finding that the people she knew were the only ones that were looking her way. She smiled at them in acknowledgement, playfully stuck a tongue out at some girl friends, and beamed at Gon. Her gaze then went past the empty chair next to the latter. Taking a quick deep breath she returned to her teacher. _Good thing he's not in here or else..._ She suppressed a smile when she remembered the thing that happened a little while earlier.

"Did Mr. Chango say anything else?"

Mr. Yama's voice called her attention. Yuhi immediately attended. "No, sir. He only told me to hand those to you. They're the files he said he needed to give you at lunch."

The teacher nodded. "Okay, you can go now. Thank you."

Yuhi did the same, and turned around to walk out–shooting the people she knew pieces of small smiles.

"Bye, Yuhi!" Gon waved a hand at her.

Everyone shared a laugh.

Yuhi paused, and blinked, and gave her share of a laughter. She nodded and waved a hand again before heading for the door.

But it slid open before she could grab the handle.

_Heh–_

Dokidokidoki.

Yuhi's light auburn orbs met the person's blue ones instantly–and instantly her pulse started racing.

Again, it was Killua.

The imaginary fireworks started appearing slowly in the background again, the romantic instrumental music started playing in her head. It felt like another scene from a cheesy romantic comedy movie. But Yuhi loved the feeling nevertheless. However it halted when she recalled her position. Her joints were acting up. She was feeling nervous. She started to think that everyone was looking at them. _I… need to get out…_ It's a good thing she suppressed that goofy smile passionately fighting its way out of her lips.

She took a step to the right. But lo, Killua took a step in that direction as well. The auburn-haired immediately took a step to the left; and Killua to his right–making them both step into the same direction. The moment was awkward and heart-pounding for our protagonist.

"Killua, go to your right! She'll go to her left!" the same spiky-haired boy exclaimed, trying to help.

The white-haired boy only gave him a disbelieved face. "That's the same thing, you idiot!"

The students suppressed a laugh.

The teacher cleared his throat loud.

Killua then just moved aside to let the girl pass.

Yuhi slightly bowed and flashed a shy smile towards the boy, and she walked out with a galloping heartbeat.

Killua slid the door shut behind him and walked towards his desk. He turned to his best friend as he hoisted his pen. "Do you know that girl?" he whispered, a naturally irritated tone in his voice.

The latter nodded cheerfully. "She's Yuhi from 2-B. She's the one I've been telling you about."

"Ah…" Killua nodded slowly with a quizzical look on his face.

Mr. Yama cleared his throat loud again and shot a look at the two boys.

They immediately went back to Algebra.

* * *

Long, fast strides defined Yuhi's steps as she walked towards their classroom. In a nick of time she was seated in her place again, a bittersweet filling occupied her drowning chest. She wanted to smile, and cry at the same. She didn't know what, when, where, why, and how, but the sweet feeling was prevailing. She pressed her lips together to keep the smile to herself. Burying herself in her seat she looked out the window, and saw everything as amazingly beautiful as it ever was. She sighed in awe. _Oh divine intervention, why are you purposely making this happen?_

"What?"

"Huh!" Yuhi instantly sat up straight and looked around, blood filling her cheeks. Her surprised orbs met three questioning pairs.

"I'd say she's dreaming but she just got here," a boy classmate mused to the person next to him.

The auburn-haired held her breath and blinked at them.

Suno was one of them. He leaned closer with that usual furrowed eyebrows of his. "Oi, Yuhi, if principal's got good news don't keep it to yourself, aye?"

"Uh…" Yuhi blinked. She needed to recollect her thoughts.

Sejin was one of them as well. She crossed her arms against her chest and waited.

_Oh, yeah!_ She raised a finger and beamed at them when she remembered, but her wide smile was replaced by a sheepish one when they remained stagnant. "Ms. Irisa's not attending class today," she declared, looking at Sejin.

The two other boys instantly stood up and raised their fists in the air. "Yeeeesss! Woohoo!"

And the class went chaotically ballistic.

However, Sejin remained in her position. She knew there was more.

Yuhi nodded to the people who asked if the news was true then returned to the president. "But she left something for us to read. Mr. Chango told me to tell you to monitor the class, Sejin, while there's no teacher yet."

The latter expectedly sighed and nodded while standing up. "'Kay," she silently mused. Sejin took a deep breath and yelled, "People, couldn't you first wait for an announcement before going _pathetically_ hysterical?"

Everyone then went quiet.

Yuhi returned to her seat, a sweat dropping from her temple. _Well, that's Sejin for you._ Looking out the window while the president talked about how things will go while the teacher's out, the auburn-haired thought of _him_ again. A small smile escaped her lips. _I think my sleepy nerves will be wide awake today._

* * *

And true enough–Yuhi's wonderful mood took her to greater heights in the remaining subjects for the afternoon. She soared in Mathematics that day, where she was naturally good at, and participated well in Language, a subject she'd let her eyelids fall in. Her classmates were even surprised about how active she was in the latter, since they're used to watching Yuhi doze off fast.

School then ended, and it was time to go. The day was great. And she decided to take it home with her.

"Heeeyy, Yuhinanana, it's been a while since you walked out of the room with us!" a male classmate teased as they walked towards the door.

Yuhi laughed. "Yeah, it's been a while."

Another male classmate walked beside her and teased, "Did you have a gazillion dose of coffee or something?" The two boys laughed.

The auburn-haired did the same. She shook her head and looked at the two simultaneously as they stepped out into the hallway. "A happy med."

The boys looked at each other, then grinned. "Ah, I knew it. It's that Gon guy." They snickered.

But this time, instead of being surprised, her nerves told her to laugh it off for real. "You guys know nothing at all."

And they teased her even more.

From the doorway of class 2-B, Sejin nodded to herself in understanding while following Yuhi with her eyes. She wondered why the girl instantly became active in class. When she overheard the auburn-haired's conversation with the two boys, she knew the reason already. _Something must've happened._ Sejin shrugged and hugged the pile of exam papers in her arms tight and started in the hallway. But she paused in her tracks when she saw something that quite fed her curiosity. Her eyebrows furrowed. _Is he…?_

* * *

"I'm home!" the smiling auburn-haired girl announced as she walked inside a busy small Ramen house, with floors, walls, chairs and tables made of Oak and Maple wood. She walked through the small pathways in between tables and towards the counter where a tough-looking man with long sideburns and a moustache was preparing a bowl of noodles while talking loudly to a costumer.

"She slapped the man in the face! But he ended up chasing after her in the end! Ain't that a little cheesy? She should've shot him with a gun if she wanted him gone!" He and his companion sitting on the tall stool by the counter laughed loudly like the men that they are. He then placed the bowl of steamy Ramen in front of the man. "Here ya go, lad." Turning to look ahead, he spotted the girl beaming at him. "Yuhi!"

The addressed smiled widely even more as she waved a hand at him. "Hello, Roroturo-san!"

Roroturo Gyuri is a buff chef whose expertise was making noodles and delicious Ramen. He owns a 24-hours Ramen house near the borders of Tomo, but not too far from the town proper. Workers and travellers are his most frequent costumers–that's why after office hours the eatery gets crowded, like that evening. He is also the person who took Yuhi in when she was only a baby. He wasn't related by blood or by any kind to the girl, but he treated her like his own daughter. Roroturo was a good-natured, optimistically enthusiastic, tough-toned man in his 30s, and he and Yuhi were very close–this was probably how Yuhi's exuberant personality developed.

The auburn-haired girl seated herself on one of the tall stools and leaned her elbows on the counter.

The man went to her and patted her head. "You hungry?" The tone in his voice was husky and tough, but Yuhi was used to it.

She nodded. "I'm starving!"

Roroturo laughed and nodded. "Alright, just you wait. I'm going to make you the best Ramen you've ever tasted!"

Yuhi laughed. "I thought last night's Ramen was the best?"

The man then turned to his side of the counter. "Ah, but that was only the son of the best! This is his mama!" He then went to work.

Yuhi watched the man intently while he creates his masterpiece. It always amazes her how people could chop and cook with perfect measurements. She tried cooking though, but realized that her arms were really only meant for noodle dough-mashing. This was the reason why she managed to hold her arms up in the air longer than any ordinary person could, and why she had tolerated the muscle pain it caused her. Her arms were used to functioning in extreme mashing conditions. Roroturo even told her that she had magically strong arms. That became his pride and glory.

After a few minutes, a delicious bowl of ramen with many colourful toppings of beef, carrots, radish, egg and many more on top appeared before the girl. Her bright-auburn eyes grew wide as her stomach grumbled. "This looks delicious!"

Roroturo crossed his arms against his chest with held his chin up proudly. "But of course!"

"Eh! You're a biased man, Roroturo; making special ramen only for your girl," a frequent costumer teased from beside Yuhi.

The addressed laughed and patted the back of the man. "If I'd make one for you then it wouldn't be so special anymore, now, would it?"

They shared a laugh.

Yuhi then attended to her Ramen. She was truly hungry. "I'll eat this now!" And she munched on.

Roroturo watched the girl and waited for a response.

After a sip from the soup and a bite from the noodles, Yuhi beamed and exclaimed "This is _so_ good!" with food in her mouth.

The man nodded with a triumphant look on his face. He then observed the girl, amused, and quite confused. "Hey, you're early, huh!"

Yuhi nodded. "Yeah, I didn't sleep in class today!"

Roroturo's countenance lightened up. He motioned for a high-five–which was returned by the girl. "Alright! Told ya the ramen I made last night should keep you alert!" he added, leaning over the counter.

Yuhi stuffed the noodles in her mouth as she smiled and giggled to herself at the comment. _The ramen… and someone else, that is._

The man's expression changed when he saw the reaction. "Wait, are you laughing at me?"

The auburn-haired girl turned her gaze to her guardian with a quizzical look on her face. Then she gulped the food in as she shook her head. "N-No, Roroturo-san! I think your ramen prophecy was true!" she firmly stated, and she giggled again while returning to her food.

Roroturo blinked. "There it is again!" He leaned over the counter and stared at the girl. "I feel like you're hiding something from me."

A surge of slight panic trembled inside Yuhi's chest. She shook her head and laughed it off. "Why would I be hiding something from you, Roroturo-san? You know I won't do that!" No, she couldn't tell him about her one-sided love life.

The man then blinked a couple of times before laughing with the girl. He patted her head. "Right, right! Just tell me immediately if the Ramen doesn't taste right, okay?"

Yuhi nodded cheerily and continued with her ramen while Roroturo attended to more costumers. She looked at the man with a relieved smile on her face. _I can't tell Roroturo-san about him yet._ Yuhi didn't want to. She fears that her small fantasy might grow into something she would anticipate to happen if she told her guardian about it. Because then Roroturo would root for her, that's for sure. And that might pressure her to get closer to Killua. She knew about those kinds of things, and though she never truly intended for something like that to happen, she didn't want it to start.

The moment she finished, Yuhi immediately changed and helped Roroturo with the work inside the 24-hours Ramen shop. Every day since she gained understanding on things, Yuhi would help the man inside the shop. Though at first Roroturo refused, because she was a girl and because the costumers were so many she might not be able to take the atmosphere, eventually he gave in. Yuhi was honest about returning the kindness Roroturo had been giving her. So since then, she took part in washing the dishes, waiting tables and–her weekend job–mashing noodle dough inside the kitchen. It was an easy job since their home was only upstairs the Ramen shop. However, like I said, the Ramen shop was a 24-hours eatery. People disperse very late in the evening. There were only few who enter by dawn, though–people who stayed for a drink–but it's all good, because Roroturo and one of his workers could handle the shop by that time, and Yuhi can finally rest in her room like every other night.

After 5 hours inside the Ramen shop, Yuhi was done for the day. "I'm off, Roroturo-san!" Yuhi exclaimed, loosening up her apron and hanging it on a rack inside the kitchen. She stepped out and yawned. "Good night."

The man smiled and waved a hand at her. "Thanks, Yuhi. Sleep tight."

The addressed smiled and nodded. She then turned to the boy who was busily arranging the tables. "Lorn!"

The boy turned around.

Yuhi waved a hand. "Good night!"

He did the same. "Yeah, don't oversleep!"

The girl laughed and smiled at Roroturo for the last time before running up the stairs to her room. Her gaze fell directly at the clock on her bedside dresser. Her eyes slightly grew wide. _11:15 PM._ She still had to read lessons in Chemistry and History. Yuhi let out a sigh as she smiled and slumped on her bed, hoisting her bag from the floor. _Well, I hope Ms. Irisa could still rest for one more day._ Setting everything on her study table and switching the lamp on, she took her seat and played with her pen while scanning through the pages of her books.

Doki.

She smiled widely and giggled, biting her lips.

The face of a _certain_ person went past her thoughts.

_I guess I'll just thank him tomorrow._

-CHAPTER END-

* * *

_Thanksies AKatsinTcups, Someone, Pika Yuhi-chan (for giving love and support to Yuhi ajsfkldjsfkj ^^), the-ultimate-star (omg you've now read this aksdjaskfhdjf thank youuu!), and xOxO Lost Angel OxOx for the wonderful reviews in the previous chapter!_

I am in love with long reviews so please keep them coming! Please review, oh please do. ^^


	4. H-Hello!

A/N: Hi, wonderfully amazing people! How have you been? How was your week? Hope you're feeling okay, and if you are not, just remember that you are blessed and that you are beautiful. :') Hihi~ Seriously has it been only a week? It felt like a freaking whole month for me! I've been so busy lately, omg. I don't get much sleep. Ugh. ANYWAY, here's your fourth chapter! *throws chocolate confetti* Yehey! Are you even excited about this? Oh, c'mon! It's the fourth chapter, yay! _Things will start to happeeeeen._ Sooooooo, here you go!

_Doki = sound of a heartbeat_

DISCLAIMER: I am not Togashi, no.

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER FOUR  
**H-Hello!**

The week was depressing.

First of all, for some unknown reason, all of the teachers required projects and homework and take home exams all at the same time–even making the deadlines as early as within the week. Second of all, Ms. Irisa went back to work on Tuesday already and had the class reading tons of stuff to make up for the day she lost because of her absence. Third of all, Yuhi finally received a memo from Mr. Chango for sleeping in History class two days in a row. Fourth of all, Roroturo surprisingly got sick for two whole days which caused Yuhi to take care of him, which also caused her lethargic behaviour in that week. And fifth of all, there was _no sight_ of Killua for one whole freaking week!

It was depressing.

And though it was a Friday, the busy schedule stuck to the students like there was some kind of invisible glue in it. Everyone in class was in low-spirits that day. After every subject, they would all just go and rest their tired heads on their desks and wait for another teacher to come. The room was a gloomy horror movie–like a dark spirit had possessed the poor pupils' souls and gave them layers of eye-bags as Christmas gifts.

"Are you having lunch for dinner…?"

"Mm… yeah, probably… Wait, what did you just say…?"

"I want a bed right now…"

"Can I make your soft bag a pillow?"

"Hey, you're snoring."

"I'm human."

"_Homo sapien_."

"Biology."

"Chemistry."

"Forty four million and three hundred ninety-one thousand square kilometres…"

"Seventeen million one hundred and thirty nine thousand four hundred square miles…"

"Why does the earth have to have many countries?"

"Why do students have to suffer so much?"

"I hate math."

A unison sigh echoed inside the room of class 2-B and the gloomy feel along with it. Yuhi did the same, burying the right side of her head on her desk and just staring at the horizon from outside the window. Of all the things that needed to be thought about that week, her brain seemed to have fried and numbed. She couldn't think of anything straight. She felt like a robot–instantly doing what she's been told to do without feeling anything at all. Her energy decreased an incredible amount because of the heavy school work.

She needed to get her brightness back.

Would thinking about how beautiful the world is work? Would teasing Sejin work? Would Roroturo's ramen work? Would thinking about Killua work?

…

No, it won't. Unfortunately. Yuhi closed her eyes buried her head in her arms, struggling to concentrate and to assess everything she still needed to do. _Algebra. Chemistry. World History. Language. Problem solving. Experiments. Projects. Papers. Activities. Why?_

"Mrs. Lazy-bean's here…" Sejin whispered irritably.

Yuhi knew that was meant for her. She groggily forced her head to part ways with her desk and stared with tired eyes at the woman who was walking slowly, as usual, towards the teacher's desk. She turned her head to her seatmate and gave a small smile. Because though she knew it was a bad thing for students to call teachers with _other names_, Sejin was correct. And the latter wouldn't be addressing someone in a made-up name unless that person _offends_ her.

Mrs. Malu was one of them. She was the kind of teacher who would sit all day in the teacher's chair, make the kids read two to three chapters from the book aloud according to the sitting arrangement, and not care about a single thing in the world until the period ends. She was the kind of teacher who would give students tons of homework she never really taught in class, you know. Her old-looking cat-eyed eye glasses over her jaded brown eyes that looked irritated annoyed the students every single day. And what's worse was that she teaches History. Hoorah!

Sejin was the sole person who wholeheartedly loathed Mrs. Malu in the class, because she loved History, and thought how ridiculously pathetic it is to be a lousy instructor in the most interesting subject in the world.

The teacher then finally reached her holy den and took out her attendance book. She called on the names as usual and proceeded to the usual exercise in class. Yuhi could've sworn she felt an evil spirit possess her seatmate again at that time. Sejin was so furious. It was a good thing their energy's kind of drained off or else God knows what words she'd leave the teacher with.

The period then ended after the class have read the entire constitution of five countries. Yuhi forced herself to stay awake. Mrs. Malu had been watching her since she started sleeping in her class that week. No, Yuhi didn't want another memo from the kind Mr. Chango. Roroturo would feel bad about everything again. So she stayed awake, and passed the boring time–resting her head on her desk again the instant the bell rang.

"Yuhina?" A sharp annoying old-woman's voice called her.

She knew who it was. Immediately she shot her head up. "Yes, Mrs. Malu?"

"I need you to do something for me."

Yuhi motioned to stand up and she walked towards the teacher's desk. Mrs. Malu was not leaving the class any time soon.

The teacher clamped her fingers together. "Go to my table in the faculty room and get the exam papers next to the folders. Make sure you get them all."

The auburn-haired girl nodded and obeyed. She walked through the hallways with a sigh. Then her reflexes told her to take a quick glance over the windows of 2-A. The class was dispersed. Her gaze instantly went straight to the chair in the second row near the windows on the other side. It was empty.

Another sigh.

Walking down the stairs and entering the teacher's lounge, Yuhi went straight to Mrs. Malu's table–her eyes slightly widening upon seeing the bulk of papers on her desk. _Is this it?_ She looked over everything. The pile was next to the folders, alright. She then hoisted it from the table, the height of the pile in her arms reached her collar bone as she took them in an embrace. _O-kay…_ And she immediately went back to their room.

"Are these the papers, Mrs. Malu?"

The teacher turned her tired eyes towards the pile that the student placed in front of her. She turned her gaze up at the child and stood up, collecting the unnecessary papers from the desk. "Yes. Save me the trouble of checking these one by one, child. Bring it home and return it on Monday–checked. It's to make up for _sleeping_ in my class." She then walked out of the room.

Yuhi was left to contemplate what the teacher said–since her brain couldn't function normally anymore. Mr. Yama already gave her the punishment about that–cleaning the rooms of the second year students after class again. Yuhi sighed and a pout escaped her lips. _She wanted to give her own punishment…_

"Lazy-bean. Tch."

The auburn-haired turned her gaze to her right, finding her raven-haired seatmate standing there with arms crossed against her chest.

"That's what she makes me do all the time. Seriously, how many classes is she handling anyway? So many papers. What a teacher." Sejin then shifted her eyes from the open door to the auburn ones of Yuhi. "Do you need help?"

The latter then looked at the papers, then back at Sejin. She shook her head and managed a smile. "You take a break, pres. I can handle this."

A disbelieved expression filled Sejin's face, as if asking Yuhi 'you sure?' Then a sigh with a groan escaped her lips. She nodded. "Fine, if you say so. But if you get confused with the things in there, just give me call."

Yuhi beamed for the first time that day. "Really? You'll let me call you?" It was a privilege. Sejin was an introvert after all.

The latter hissed and nodded irritably. "Sure, if it's about school things."

Yuhi uttered a light chuckle. "Alright!"

Sejin observed Yuhi as she walked to her desk and do things she do. _Did he…?_ She was contemplating her thoughts while walking to her own seat. She then shook her head. _Why am I even bothering about this?_

* * *

After a day of gloominess and depression over all the things they could think of, the class dispersed in an exaggeratedly ecstatic mood–shouting and jumping out of the classroom door like they won the lottery, smiling like there's no tomorrow.

What happened to the darkness that enveloped them since Tuesday?

Why, of course, it was a Friday.

Every student's high spirit comes back to them whenever it's a Friday. So these kids were not an exception. The school was jam-packed with over-giddiness talking and noises that can be heard even by the extra-terrestrial beings from the other side of the planet. Some were talking about what to do in the weekend, some were discussing where they should go that afternoon, some were betting about who is going to win in a famous basketball competition in town, and some were just having plain talks about things.

However our protagonist never really engaged in any of those. If someone would invite her–sure, why not? But that depends upon the things she needed to do. Plus, she practically co-runs a ramen shop. She did not want to think about Roroturo running a busy eatery alone while she's in leisure, no. Her conscience wouldn't allow that. So, just like any other Friday, Yuhi would go straight home to rest early and prepare herself for the weekend work–and school work.

Fixing her things on her desk and carelessly placing them inside her blue school messenger bag, Yuhi glanced at the clock. _4:05. It's still early._ A small smile escaped her lips. Yuhi loved going home early because she gets to rest a little before happily going to the kitchen of the ramen shop and helping Roroturo with the work. Unlike when she gets home late; school work piles up and she never really gets to rest and to help much in the shop. Needless to say, Yuhi feels productive whenever she goes home while the sun was still at its peak.

"Bye, Yuhi!"

"Take care on the way home, Yuhi!"

"See you on Monday, Yuhi!"

The addressed shifted her gaze towards the girls who walked past her–giving them a beaming smile and a nod. "You too! See you on Monday!" she shouted, waving a hand at them. She then zipped her bag shut and stood up; securing the pile of exam papers Mrs. Malu told her to check at home. Her gaze turned to her seatmate. "You're going home, Sejin?"

A sigh was the quick and usual response. "Of course, we've got lots of things to do and finish. Where else would I possibly be at this time of life?"

A sweat dropped from Yuhi's forehead as she slid on her bag and scooped the papers from her desk. _Sejin's so tired, ne…_ She smiled and offered company. "Want to walk to the bus stop together?"

The latter shook her head, her gaze not leaving the page of the notebook she was writing on. "No, you go ahead. Mr. Yama told me that he was going to give me something to work on today." A pause. "I'm so fed up with teachers' orders…"

Yuhi straightened up. She smiled wide. "I can wait for you!"

But Sejin only looked at her with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Go home, Yuhi. I know you're needed there." Then she went back to her desk.

"You sure?" Yuhi asked, concerned.

Another sigh. "Yes."

"Really?"

Sejin slightly slammed her pen on her desk and looked back at Yuhi. "Yes. Go now, please. I'm a strong-built 15 year-old. I can handle myself."

After a few seconds, the auburn-haired girl nodded her head slowly.

Sejin sighed and pointed at the papers embraced in Yuhi's arms. "Are _you_ sure you don't need help with that?"

The latter took a deep breath before uttering a smile. She shook her head. "Nope, I can handle this." She tapped the top of the pile and waved a hand. "Take care then, Sejin! See you Monday!"

The latter just nodded back and went to writing something again.

Yuhi walked out of the room and out of the building with a slightly refreshed mind, thinking that two days would help her in taking time to finish her homework and paper works. And that it will give her enough spare time for Mrs. Malu's orders about the exam papers. Yuhi hadn't looked at the papers yet. She wondered why Sejin sounded as though she didn't want her to do the work. _Is it because the exam papers are actually from the graduating class? Are they hard to understand? Does it have several different kinds of ancient alphabets?_ Yuhi then shrugged and smiled to herself. _Oh well, Sejin said I can call her about it anyway._

The auburn-haired girl tightened her embrace on the papers in her arms as she was nearing the campus gates. She sighed, and as she walked through the concrete pathway, the same scenario she had been dreaming to happen in real life came to mind that afternoon. Yuhi wasn't hoping for anything to happen but, she'd give anything for a chance to catch a glimpse of Killua before heading home. She knew it was silly but hey, she's a girl, and Killua's presence was her energy booster. A suppressed smile appeared on her tiny face as the picture of it happening played in her imagination. She shrugged in delight and lovingly cocked her head from left to right. Thinking of the boy helped her head cool down this time–and maybe with a little help from the fact that it was a Friday too. She was then a few meters out the gate when someone shouted her name.

"Yuhi!"

It came from behind her. Pausing in her tracks she turned around to see who it was. _Oh!_ It was Gon, running towards her direction. She was about to smile when her gaze shifted to the person walking behind the spiky-haired boy.

A silent gasp.

It was Killua.

Doki.

Another gasp.

Time then seemed to stop and everything instantly turned into slow motion. Yuhi's life muscle started beating so fast it felt as though it would explode any second. The surroundings were a blur but that white hair and dreamy face was so clear in her vision. Yuhi gulped. She felt her face forming an awed expression as a cool guitar solo that matched every mysterious angst-driven pretty boy's personality started playing inside her mind with every step from that white-haired angel. The way Killua's whole being looked while walking towards her direction was beautiful–with his hands casually placed inside his pockets, hair breathtakingly being blown by the wind, his intense, jaded eyes slowly shifting from the ground to look at her with its mesmerizing blue orbs, walking in slow motion with delicate and feline-like strides. She never really read comics, but oh how that moment felt like a _manga_ scene at that time, with the most perfect _manga_ boy in it. Yuhi subconsciously hugged the papers in her arms with a wonderstruck sigh.

"Hey, Yuhi!"

And then the dream-like fantasy died down. Yuhi immediately removed her gaze from the white-haired boy to look at Gon, wishing that her cheeks were at their normal state. She instantly smiled. "Hi!" But inside her mind was in total chaos. She didn't know what to do, how to control her breathing, how to hide her face, how to stand properly–she wondered if her posture was not the awkward kind. She just felt… nervous, and happy her nerves were reacting too much. Yuhi shrugged to somehow calm down.

The boy paused in front of her with a beaming face. "Are you going home now?"

Yuhi nodded. "Yep!" _Act normal. Act normal. Act normal._ She then glanced at Killua then turned her gaze back at Gon. "Are you?"

The latter nodded. "Hey! Want to walk home together?"

Yuhi's reflexes were fast. She answered 'Sure!' the instant she heard the question. But the auburn-haired girl's eyes grew wide after realizing everything. _But then… wouldn't he… wouldn't Killua be there too…?_

"Oh wait! I want to introduce you to someone!"

_Heh–_ Yuhi's system stopped functioning for a split second.

Gon turned to the white-haired boy behind him. "Hey, Killua! Why do you walk so slowly?" he whined.

The addressed shot him a look. "That's because you were running ahead of me!" Killua shouted back. Three more steps and he was standing alongside Gon.

The girl was palpitating. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. An official introduction should help her give her gratitude to her white-haired angel. But for some reason she wanted to run away because of the nerves. _Breathe… Breathe…_

The spiky-haired boy turned to Yuhi with a wide smile on his face. "She's Yuhi! The girl I've been talking about!" he announced, spreading his arms.

_Gon's been talking about me with… him?_ Yuhi turned her gaze slowly at the white-haired boy. Blood ran up her cheeks when she met his eyes. She managed her usual smile though, but she swore the whole world was hearing her fast beating heart at that time. She swallowed liquid and silently cleared her throat. She removed her right hand from embracing the papers for a wave, but feeling that they would fall off her left arm she immediately put it back around the pile again. So she just bowed her head a little. "H-Hello!" Yuhi felt like her pitch was hideously twisted when she spoke.

Killua only looked at her.

Gon then immediately broke the 5-millisecond pause. "Yuhi, this is Killua! My best friend in the world!" he declared with innocent pride.

A slight blood rush infiltrated the latter's cheeks. "You don't need to be so loud about it, you know!" Killua poked the spiky-haired boy's forehead thrice.

Yuhi stared with amazement at Killua as he shunned away with the colour pink painting his cheeks.

The latter noticed. He looked at the girl.

Yuhi instantly looked away; her face was burning as she silently cleared her throat. But inside she was galloping. _He's… He's so cute…_

Gon rubbed the sore part of his forehead. "Hey, Killua, don't be harsh!"

Killua winced, looking away.

Yuhi bit her cheek. Her heart wanted her to tell him that they've seen each other before. It wanted her to remind him of those times. But her brain counters. Her brain was logically analysing the situation first. But it was in Yuhi's nature to follow what her instincts tell her. Thinking about the outcome of things was just too… partial–at least that's what she believes in. So why? Why was she thinking of what to say first before speaking her heart? Why? Yuhi wasn't like that. She was– "W-We met!" Well, that was it. Her tone was shaky and high, and Yuhi did not know why she suddenly declared that tiny information to the two of them. She pressed her lips together after speaking, regretting every letter emitted by her careless tongue. _What am I thinking…?_

And sure enough, the spiky-haired boy cocked his head to the left in confusion, waiting for a follow-up statement.

Yuhi swallowed liquid continuously, trying to recollect the right words to say. _Why am I being like this when he's around…?_

But to her surprise, Killua was the one who carried her to safety. "Hey… you're that girl…" He leaned a bit closer to have a clearer look on Yuhi's face. The latter's pulse raced. Butterflies violently flapped their wings inside her stomach. She wanted to faint. _So close… so close…_ Killua blinked. "Hallway girl!" He then pointed at her as if she was some kind of ghostly figure standing before him.

Yuhi's eyes grew wide. _Hallway girl!?_

Gon straightened up. "Hallway girl!?"

The white-haired boy nodded. His eyes were wide. "Yeah, hallway girl! The one who's stubbornly doing the stupid punishment thing; that's you!"

The girl leaned her head back when Killua's pointing shot her vision. She nodded several times.

"You met!?"

"Yeah!"

And like squiggly cells invaded her system, Yuhi inwardly giggled. She looked down to hide her smile.

Gon then beamed. "That's awesome! Why didn't you tell me about this, Killua? I thought you didn't know her!"

Killua shrugged. "Well, I didn't! I don't try to remember people's faces, you know. I'm not like you!"

Yuhi's heart fell. _Aww…_ But instantly she recovered. At least Killua remembered her. He freaking remembered her. _He remembers me!_ She pressed her lips together to suppress another upcoming smile and giggle.

Gon laughed in excitement. "So, what happened?"

The girl's smile then was subconsciously released when Gon asked the question. She wanted to know what Killua would say, and _how_ he's going to say it.

"Math, Yama sent me out. There."

Yuhi wanted to laugh at herself. _What do you expect him to say, Yuhina?_

"Ah! Ne, ne, that's when I was looking for Yuhi!" Gon looked at the girl, then back at his best friend. "Yeah, you didn't do your math homework for the day then, Killua…" He scratched his nape and laughed sheepishly.

Killua looked away, slightly flushed.

The auburn eyes of Yuhi grew wide. _Was that why he was sent out? We had the same reason…_

The spiky-haired boy's eyes furrowed. "Wait, outside… That means… Ms. Irisa was really sending you out that time!?" he turned to Yuhi. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

The girl nodded slowly and sheepishly. "…Yes."

"What happened?"

The girl then realized she was the one to tell her side of the story now. Another sheepish smile appeared across her lips. "I… heh… science. I didn't do my homework…"

The spiky-haired boy looked at her with pure amazement written all over his face. "Like Killua!"

A huge _thump_ in the chest. _Like Killua…_ Yuhi laughed and returned the enthusiastic tone in Gon's voice. "Yeah!"

Her white-haired angel winced and looked away, crossing his arms against his chest.

Yuhi almost frowned, thinking that she offended him.

But Gon only laughed at him. He retracted. "Now that we know each other, let's walk home together!"

_Huh! So fast!_ The girl then held her breath and instantly waited for Killua's response.

The latter looked at Gon with a disbelieved expression on his face.

However the spiky-haired boy ignored it. "Do you walk home, Yuhi?"

The addressed shook her head. "I take the bus."

Gon's eyes grew wide with surprise. "Really? Is your home that far?"

Yuhi thought about the distance for a second. "Hm… Not much, I think." She then laughed sheepishly. "It's near enough for me."

Gon smiled. "We'll walk you to the bus stop then!"

_We…_ The auburn-haired girl almost choked of her own breathing. She smiled widely, ecstatic of the fact that she was going to walk to the bus stop together Killua, but she wanted herself to feel that the presence of Gon was more important. She didn't want to be partial to him by thinking that the love of her life will be with them. That would be unfair to Gon's pride. _Right?_

"Killua, you'll be walking with us, right?" the spiky-haired boy asked.

A pause. "…I guess," was the silent answer.

Gon pouted.

And as if he knew what the response was, Killua looked at Gon. "Of course, I will, pfft. Where else would I go?"

Gon beamed. "Let's go then!"

Yuhi removed her gaze from Killua and smiled at Gon. She nodded once.

They started walking out of the school gates then, with Gon taking half from the pile of papers in Yuhi's arms to help her with it. They both walked alongside each other and talked about school and stuff while Killua stayed silent behind them, chewing on a lollipop. Yuhi tried so hard to ignore her fast throbbing pulse, but her feels just couldn't ignore the little things. In all honestly, though she kept her head and her body heat at normal condition at that time, the time span of that moment while they were walking to the bus stop was incredibly nerve-wracking and happily heart-pounding at the same time. Yuhi couldn't comprehend how gleeful she was that afternoon; she couldn't comprehend what she was feeling at all.

"So Yuhi, where do you live? I'm curious since you take the bus. Almost all of us in our class only walk home, you see," Gon asked as they walked along the pavement.

Yuhi returned a smile. "Do you know the ramen house near the train station?"

Gon cocked her head to the left, thinking. Then he raised his index finger in the air. "Ah! I think I've seen that when we moved here! What about it? Do you live near that place? That's quite on the borders."

The auburn-haired girl laughed. "That's where I live. There's a house on the second floor. My guardian runs the place."

"Really?" Gon beamed. "That's so cool!" He turned to Killua. "Isn't that cool, Killua?"

Doki.

Yuhi held her breath again for the latter's answer.

The addressed only looked at him nonchalantly. "Whatever." And he returned to delighting himself with the houses to his right.

The girl's lips almost curled into a frown when she heard the cold answer from her angel. But instantly she shook it off – shrugging and smiling to herself.

Gon sheepishly laughed while turning his gaze at Yuhi. "Don't worry about Killua. He talks like that to all of the gir– Ow!" He instantly looked at the person who nudged him in the arm. "What'd you do that for?"

Yuhi blinked.

Killua grinned playfully, a nerve throbbing on his temple. "Hehe. Don't talk about me." The spiky-haired boy turned to kick him in the knee. But Killua easily dodged. "Missed." He stuck his tongue out then returned the lollipop in his mouth, looking away.

The auburn-haired smiled at them wholeheartedly.

Gon then made a whining sound then went back to the girl. "I bet the ramen's great there!" he exclaimed, instantly changing the subject.

Yuhi laughed again. Gon was adorably funny. She nodded. "Of course!" she exclaimed back. The enthusiasm was at its highest peak when the two of them talked.

It was a minute of sharing jokes and airy laughs, when Yuhi then suddenly felt a hand on her right shoulder. It was forcefully but gently trying to push her to the left. With instinct and surprise, she obeyed and took two steps to her left, slightly bumping into Gon – quite confused. The second she took the step, a fast moving car then raced on the street from behind her.

"Are you okay, Yuhi?" Gon immediately asked, eyes sparkling with concern.

Yuhi nodded and managed to shoot a smile towards Gon. Her eyes grew wide and she instantly thanked the heavens she didn't get hit, because she was so close to it. Without pausing in her tracks she looked at her right shoulder. The hand wasn't there anymore, but she knew from whom it belonged. Her chest was galloping and pure glee was filling her system. She hesitantly turned her gaze towards the boy behind her, slightly avoiding eye contact. Her pulse was racing but she managed a smile. "Thank you," a silent mutter.

The white-haired boy transferred the candy in his mouth from his right cheek to his left as he looked away. "You should watch where you're walking!" His tone was silently annoyed. But hey, he's Killua. It's in his nature.

Yuhi blushed. She knew she should be saying something like, 'I will next time, I promise!' with a solid face but she ended up smiling in awe. She was speechless.

"Great reflexes, Killua!" Gon noted to his best friend.

The addressed then grimaced at him. "What are you talking about? Anyone could see that coming, you know!"

"I know! I heard it coming but I didn't know it would run so close to Yuhi!"

The latter hearing the conversation then gulped. _Why didn't I hear it coming? And I didn't even see it until it was racing within my sight!_

Gon moved in front of the girl. "Sorry, Yuhi. Let's trade places."

Yuhi blinked and stared at him for a while. Then she nodded slowly as she moved to her left. "Sorry. Next time I'll be alert so we don't have to trade places when I am walking next to the road." She beamed at Gon and at Killua.

The former returned the smile while the latter just looked away.

Gon then looked ahead. His face instantly lightened up. "There's the bus stop!"

Yuhi blinked again and looked ahead. "Oh, yeah!" _Aww, it's time to leave…_

They all paused by the stop signage to wait for a bus.

Killua nudged Gon in the elbow. "Hey, Gon, let's buy something to eat on the way home. I'm starving," he silently mumbled, throwing the stick of the lollipop he was eating in the nearest trash bin and placing his hands behind his head.

Gon didn't give a response. He just blinked and looked like he was thinking after hearing what his best friend had to say.

A bus then was within their sight. Yuhi straightened up and turned to Gon. "Thanks for today!" She smiled. "I'll be off now." She glanced at the white-haired boy but never engaged in eye contact. The bus then stopped. She tip-toed then fell flat on her feet again, glancing at the pile of papers in the raven-haired boy's arms. She held out her palm for them. "See you in school on Monday!" She smiled. _See you on Monday… Killua._ Her heart skipped a beat after uttering his name in her mind. It had a good tickling ring to it whenever she said his name. It made her shrug in delight.

The bus' door slid open, revealing a waiting conductor and his driver, looking their way. Yuhi's smile never left her face as she waited for the papers with her big bright auburn eyes.

"Hey, kids, let's go," the conductor announced.

Yuhi waited, and suddenly, Gon hopped inside first.

The spiky-haired kid's face was beaming with enthusiasm as he spoke. "Let us ride with you home, Yuhi!"

…

..

.

"_Eh?_" Yuhi and Killua asked in unison.

The girl then straightened up and blinked as she turned her gaze at the white-haired boy who was standing beside her.

Killua was blazing. "Are you kidding me, Gon? You're acting like a freaking 7-year old again!"

Yuhi felt a tiny slash in the chest. But she agreed with Killua in her own terms. It would be so embarrassing if she were to give Gon and Killua the trouble of travelling to her home just to accompany her; that's what she feels. So, quite reluctant, she denied the request. "I don't want to cause you the time of coming to our place," she declared carefully.

Gon's smile was as stagnant as his request. "Don't worry, we won't be wasting our time there. Killua said he's hungry, didn't you, Killua? So, let's try the ramen in there! I'm actually starving too. Hehe." Gon sheepishly laughed, rubbing his belly.

Killua grunted and ruffled his hair frustratingly.

Yuhi gulped. She was torn between the thought of causing them trouble and the thought of having them taste the pride of Roroturo.

"Hey, people are waiting, ya know," the conductor announced again.

"Please?" the spiky-haired boy insisted, looking at Yuhi and locking gazes with his best friend.

The latter only shot him a look as groans of frustration were escaping his throat. "Gon…" They exchanged looks for a while, reading each other, when finally Killua sighed and closed his eyes. His eyebrows were creased as he mumbled "Fine…"

Gon's smile was wide. He turned his gaze at Yuhi. "Well?"

The girl's heart was beating fast as everything sank in her mind. _Killua agreed to go to my home. Killua will go to my home. Killua will…_ She swallowed hard. "A-Are you sure it'll be okay with you?"

Gon nodded optimistically.

Yuhi was suppressing her smile while turning her gaze towards Killua. She pressed her lips together.

The white-haired boy sighed again. He crossed his arms against his chest and looked away. "…Whatever."

The girl cleared her throat to rid the giggle she was forcing her body not to reveal. Excitement filled her system. She will be having friends at home that afternoon! "Then, s-sure!" She beamed at Gon.

And then, they were inside the bus, headed to Yuhi's home.

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_Thank you again, AKatsinTcup, Pika Yuhi-chan for keeping up, Colorless Butterfly for saying it's cute, awww :') And to all other people who recently just followed and fave=d this story! Lemme reply to guest reviews here._

_To Someone: Hello! I want to know who you are. Hahaha! Thank you for keeping uuuup, omg you've been here since Ch1. I hope you could keep up. And yeah, glad I cleared up the misunderstandings as soon Hoho. To 2102032: Hello as well! I have been figuring out what you said about... "i feel like i failed you." What does that meannnn? Haha! Thank you for being excited and for loving certain elements in the story, aww :') And to Mai: Hi, sweetie! You sound so cute in the review. Hihi. I am so glad that this story makes you smile. And this story is so lucky to have a reader reading an OC story for the first time. Yuhi feels special. She thanks you all. You all are so awesome. Thank you for reading and reviewing!_

Again with the endless footnote: Please continue leaving a review, all! Please, please, please, please _review_! Thaaaaaaaaank youuuu! *^^*


	5. Looks Couldn't Kill

A/N: Omg asjdksjk! Update's late, sorry! I usually write 2 chapters ahead, but things got busy and I hate it because it was already a Sunday and I still haven't finished this chapter yet! My brain's fried. Forgive me, people. It's already 3AM in here, wth. But anyway, here's the update! Thank you so much for the reviews on the previous chapter! 8 reviews in one go! I am so amazed and humbled. Thank you, readers, you are super precious! *throws choco confetti* Hihi :') I feel like I would fail your expectations in this chapter, though, so gomen in advanced. ^^"

Before we start; lemme shamelessly announce that** I did a messy sketch on Yuhi**, yay! So if you want to see what she looks like in my imagery, **go to my profile and click the link there**. Gihihi.

_Doki = sound of a heartbeat_

DISCLAIMER: Togashi's the genius who created the cool and handsome Killua, and the innocently adorbs Gon.

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER FIVE  
**Looks Couldn't Kill**

_Staring… He's just staring…_

Yuhi's ecstatic confidence was replaced without warning by this uncomfortable, nervous kind of feeling as she stood there in front of the bar, with the equally ecstatic Gon standing on her left and–her incredibly beautiful secret love life–Killua standing beside him, waiting for her buff guardian to utter a syllable. Apparently she was too enthusiastic when she introduced the two boys to Roroturo. She was too lively, too cheery, too… happy when she got home. Because she was expecting that her equally optimistic guardian would return it. But he just stared, with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms, reading the boys.

_Stupid…_ Yuhi mentally punched her head. _Of course, I brought boys home with me for the first time–and two, actually. Roroturo-san may have freaked!_ Yuhi pressed her lips together to hide the pout she was about to give out. _But I'm not doing anything bad. Why am I nervous? _She swallowed liquid and turned her gaze towards Gon. Yuhi smiled at him. She tip-toed to take a swift glance at Killua. She blinked and stared, and the realization of everything came crashing against her chest.

Doki.

_Is it because he's standing inside my house?_

Killua then noticed Yuhi's gaze and turned his head to look at her.

The latter hid a gasp and instantly looked ahead again, blinking immensely. Her heart raced like a rock band was inside her chest. The first thing she thought was whether Roroturo saw that. She looked up at her guardian. To her relief he just continued staring at the boys. Yuhi started feeling absolutely uncomfortable. She cleared her throat loud to break the ice.

Roroturo finally moved after the sound. He took a deep breath. "Are you Yuhina's classmates?" he asked with a low and serious voice.

Yuhi knew Roroturo was not too seriously serious. She knew it's just his way of dealing with new people around her–especially boys. But her guardian's sentence alarmed her. _Uh-oh. He just said my full name._ And according to parents' dictionary, that meant that a child is screwed.

Gon straightened up. He looked at Yuhi with an amused look on his face. "Yuhina? Is that your full name?"

The girl smiled and shrugged. She nodded.

The spiky-haired boy smiled widely. "I didn't know that!"

Somehow the boy's smile lightened up the seemingly uncharacteristic gloomy mood inside the bar. She laughed and confirmed that tiny fact about her.

Roroturo faked a cough.

Gon returned to him immediately. "We're schoolmates, Roroturo-san!" he thoughtfully declared.

Yuhi smiled at that, remembering that the first thing Gon wanted to know when Yuhi told him about Roroturo was his name.

The latter's eyes grew wide. Yuhi knew he was hiding an amazed expression. Roroturo loved polite kids after all. "So, will you be going up to Yuhi's room and do projects or something like that?

The spiky-haired boy cocked his head to the right in confusion.

Killua's eyebrows creased.

The auburn eyes of Yuhi grew wide. She gulped, feeling sweat dropping from her temple _Roroturo-san's been watching too much drama on TV, ne…_ Yuhi managed to shake it off. She smiled. "I told them about your ramen, Roroturo-san!"

Gon nodded his head happily. "We came here to eat!"

The tiny grey eyes of Roroturo grew wide. Yuhi noted that they sparkled when Gon declared that sentence. She smiled at that, knowing that her guardian would be completely delighted about having new people taste his specialty for the first time. Roroturo's build could be easily seen softening up as he shrugged and cleared his throat, looking away. After a slight pause, he turned his gaze at Yuhi. "Is that serious?"

The latter couldn't help but laugh at him. She nodded cheerily. "Yep!"

Without looking away from the girl, Roroturo pressed his lips together. Then he made a goofy expression. Yuhi gleefully laughed even more at the man's antics. She knew the glitch was over. Roroturo finally smiled and released an airy chuckle as he patted the girl's head. He leaned over the bar and looked at the beaming Gon. "Ramen, huh?" he asked with a smile on his face but with a tough voice–as if he was challenging the boy for a duel.

The spiky-haired boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please!"

Roroturo released another husky chuckle before turning to the pale-looking boy beside the energetic one. "And you?"

Yuhi's smile was stagnant when she turned her gaze at Killua, waiting for his response.

The latter's twisted expression shifted from the man to his best friend. He looked at Gon, as if waiting for him to give a cue. Gon nodded. Then Killua turned his quizzical gaze back at Roroturo, reading him. Smoke then came out from the window interconnecting the kitchen to the bar. The fumes of hot ramen soup deliciously filled the entire place. Gon took a good amount of air and commented on how excited he was about eating. Killua's stomach grumbled. It instantly triggered his head to give a fast nod or two.

"Alright!" Roroturo turned around, raising his index finger in the air. "Two special ramen coming up!" He then turned back around to eye Yuhi. He gave her playful smile. "One extra special?"

_Eh?_ The instant she heard the words 'extra special,' the white-haired boy to her left was the one who instantly flicked the switch on in her head. Her heart skipped a beat, thinking that Roroturo may have noticed that Killua was someone 'extra special' for her. Yuhi blinked and became shaky and stood up straight and looked around and glanced at Killua and looked back at Roroturo. She smiled sheepishly. "What's that?"

But the latter's countenance did not get shaken by that. "Do you want the extra special one?"

_Ah–_ Yuhi laughed at herself inwardly. She instantly smiled her widest and shook her head. "Nope. I'm having what they're having, please."

Roroturo shrugged. "Three special ramen coming up!" He looked at Gon and Killua. "Have a seat, please. Make yourself at home." Roroturo smiled at them and winked at Yuhi before going to his counter.

Gon and Killua then took a seat on the stools in front of the bar while Yuhi entered the kitchen to set her things, and the exam papers, aside. The overwhelming feeling of excitement filled her chest then. Her afternoon had been so full of happy air because of a lot of things she couldn't count how many were already. Walking home all the while Killua was with them was one, but that's not all; talking about funny and random stuff with Gon was one too, and them being able to taste Roroturo's delicacy, Roroturo being so optimistic about it, and just everything. Everything about her afternoon had been amazing. It made her want to wriggle and squiggle in delight because of it. It made her chest feel lighter too; made her see things in a much brighter view after the dark and tiring week. Yuhi smiled to herself and bit her lower lip while heading out of the kitchen. Her exuberant energy finally came back. She can feel it, and she thanked the heavens for that.

Taking a gratified deep breath, Yuhi stepped out of the kitchen with an excited mood now triggered on. Her gaze shot instantly at the two boys talking by the long wooden bar counter of the shop. Her smile grew wide. And as though she was hopping with glee, she strode towards them.

"…And then we had this amazing boodle-fight inside the gym after cleaning up the backstage!" Gon narrated, looking and sounding so enthusiastic with his big bright eyes and huge smile on his face.

The white-haired boy in front of him had an equally enthusiastic playful grin on his face while the former talked.

Yuhi smiled at the view and sat on the stool next to the spiky-haired boy, looking at them and listening to the story of Gon who almost sounded like he wanted to tell the whole world about it.

He noticed the girl, for he glanced at her and gave an acknowledging nod, and returned back to telling his story. "Mr. Tenoshiru was so funny! He even burped so loud after eating ten handfuls of rice!" They all laughed.

"Man, you should have caught it on tape!" Killua countered in between chuckles.

Yuhi's heart swelled–in a good way. It was the first time she heard Killua talk so excitingly high-pitched. She smiled at that, pressing her lips together to suppress a big bright one.

Gon chuckled, and looking at his best friend he declared, "Yeah, I wish you were there, Killua," with a pure bright honest smile on his face.

The white-haired boy's facial response had taken Yuhi's consciousness at that time. It was her everyday wish since; to see Killua's pure smile even just for once. With a swelling chest Yuhi stared at her white-haired angel at that pristine moment. Everything went blurry, but that precious face was clear in Yuhi's vision. And it all came into slow motion once more. Killua smiled naturally after receiving that sentence from his best friend. It was his pure, natural, precious smile–the one she had been picturing out in her mind.

The instrumental music from before played gracefully inside Yuhi's head. She was aware of her surroundings, and she was absolutely conscious. But at that moment, time seemed to have stopped, and Killua's smiling face was all she could see. He looked like a perfectly sculpted figure sitting in front of her. No, that was an understatement. He looked even more like an angel directly sent from above. Killua glowed in Yuhi's eyes. _He's so… He is… He's beautiful._

A pure awed smile slowly spread across her lips as Yuhi stared at the white-haired boy, capturing the picture of him smiling on film in her head. She didn't care about the world at that time, not until she realized that a pair of somnolent blue eyes was quizzically staring back at her bright auburn ones.

"What?"

And everything came crashing down on her the instant she heard that voice. Her surroundings became clear in her vision and the noise from inside the shop filled her hearing. She was back on earth. But her system was instantly at chaos. _Heh–_ Yuhi silently gasped and immediately looked down, shaking her head. "N-Nothing!" Her heart started racing so fast it felt as though it would come bursting out of her chest any second, and her nerves have taken the full blown of it. She was shaking. Her fingers were twitching by themselves as she closed her hands into tight fists, trying to control her breathing. She couldn't comprehend what just happened. Killua just caught her looking at him. No, _smiling_ to herself while looking at him. Yuhi wanted to cry. She mentally banged her head on the wooden bar beside her over and over again. _What will I say? What will I say?_

Gon laughed.

Yuhi's heart stopped for a second. _Gon saw me!_ She inhaled air deep in her lungs and held her breath to wait for what the spiky-haired boy had to say.

"People here really stare at Killua when he smiles, ne!" Gon declared, beaming at his best friend.

The girl's eyes grew wide. She looked up at Gon and glanced at Killua. She realized that the latter's expression returned to his usual one. Killua silently groaned and looked away. Yuhi only saw that in her peripheral view, though. Oh, she dared not look at her white-haired angel longer than three seconds that evening. She returned her gaze at Gon who was already smiling at her. Blood filled the girl's cheeks because of embarrassment. But the spiky-haired boy's innocent smile made her give out a sheepish one of her own. Yuhi rubbed her neck, not knowing what to say.

It was a three-second silence then when the smell of Roroturo's hot ramen filled their noses.

Gon was the first to react. "Uwaa! It's here!" He beamed at Yuhi and Killua before turning his sparkly eyes towards the approaching Roroturo.

Yuhi removed every uneasy feeling in her chest immediately. She beamed back, and mentally thanked her guardian for the timing. She shrugged and smiled to herself before turning to the counter to receive her delicious bowl of ramen. But before she could turn in her seat, her gaze involuntarily went past the white-haired boy sitting adjacent to her. Her reflexes told her to pause when her auburn eyes met blue ones.

Killua was looking at her with the mix of curiosity and confusion painted on his face.

Dokidokidoki.

Her smile was still plastered on her face as her heart skipped several beats. She subconsciously cocked her head to the right, passively asking the question 'why'.

Without uttering a single syllable, Killua then slowly turned to the counter where the food was waiting.

Yuhi froze in her position for a second, and realizing that she was still smiling, hot blood rush of pure embarrassment filled her cheeks as she turned to the wooden counter. She pulled the bowl of ramen near her and looked at it, pressing her lips together. She inwardly whined as she closed her eyes, the pinkish hue in her cheeks darkening. Yuhi mentally scolded herself. She thinks that she was acting stupidly in front of him. _Why do I feel like an idiot when he's around? _Her grip on the porcelain was tight. She felt hot smoke coming out of her ears. Her face reddened even more when she remembered how Killua caught her looking earlier. _Forget about it, Yuhi. I'm sure he doesn't think it that way. Gon even said the people do it often, right? Right?_ It made her chest feel lighter. Yuhi heaved a deep sigh.

"Yuhi, your hair's on your ramen."

The addressed instantly opened her eyes and looked up, meeting the grey ones of her buff guardian. She blinked. Roroturo raised his eyebrows. Yuhi's eyes grew wide as she looked down at her ramen. The ends of her hair were almost in it. She scratched her nape and laughed sheepishly at Roroturo as she sat straight. "Sorry."

"Wow, this is _so_ good!" the spiky-haired boy announced with a beaming look on his face. His eyes were sparkling as he turned his gaze from his best friend and towards the girl to his right.

Yuhi looked at him and smiled widely. A giggled made its way through her vocal chords.

Gon turned to the proud man in front of him. "It's delicious!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Roroturo grinned playfully as he leaned his elbows on the counter. "You won't ever gonna find another ramen like this in this town, you know!" He laughed.

Gon returned the laugh, nodding happily.

Killua then took a sip from the soup of the ramen. His eyes grew wide.

Roroturo saw that, and he instantly knew what the white-haired boy's expression meant.

Yuhi turned to her own bowl of ramen. The smell made her stomach grumble. She was hungry.

"You're Gon, right, kid?" Roroturo asked the spiky-haired kid.

The addressed nodded, noodles hung from his mouth as he answered a "Yep!"

Roroturo then turned his gaze to the other boy next to Gon. "And you're Killua?"

Yuhi swallowed hard when she heard her guardian mention the name of her white-haired angel. It was a good thing she was stuffing her mouth with noodles that time or else her bright smile would easily be noticed by everyone in the shop. She silently listened to the upcoming conversation.

"Gon and Killua, huh? I thought I heard those names somewhere…" Roroturo tapped his chin with his index finger while thinking.

Yuhi looked at the man with big curious eyes.

Gon and Killua did so as well.

The man then slammed his hand on the wooden bar and looked at the two boys. "I know! You're the new kids in town, am I right?"

Gon laughed. "That's right!"

Yuhi was about to ask how Roroturo knew about it–since she distinctly remembers that she didn't mention the boys' names when she told Roroturo about the transferees in school–when the white-haired boy beat her through it.

"How did you know?" Killua asked.

Yuhi resisted the urge to glance at the boy.

Roroturo laughed. "This shop's a travel stop, kids. I know things." He winked at Killua. "I think someone in your neighbourhood mentioned it before."

"Oh," Killua answered, returning to his ramen.

Yuhi nodded slowly in understanding.

Gon bounced in his seat and as though a light bulb had flicked on inside his mind, he sat straight and raised a finger. "Ah! Is he Ali-san?"

"Ali!" Roroturo repeated, raising a finger as well. "Yes, it was Ali who told me that!"

Gon chuckled. "I knew it!"

"Ali? Is he the old geezer you were asking for directions before?" the white-haired boy asked, face twisted with disbelief.

The spiky-haired boy turned to him and nodded. "Yep! And he's nice, Killua, don't call him an old geezer!"

"Well, he's an old geezer!" Killua shrugged and pondered. "I didn't know he actually lives in the neighbourhood."

Gon laughed at him. "That's because you always ignore people!"

Roroturo chuckled with Gon.

Killua rolled his eyes and looked at his ramen. "Tche, don't talk about me."

As Gon and Roroturo gave countless of husky chuckles, Yuhi took the chance to glance at the white-haired boy to her left as he ate. He had his eyes fixed on his bowl, looking a bit serious as he scooped soup from the ramen. _Doki._ Killua looked handsome even in that angle. Yuhi shook her head a little and returned to looking ahead. It was a wrong move. She became even more nervous of the fact that Killua was there.

Roroturo talked to the boys about random things while they ate. Yuhi observed them with an amused look on her face, smiling and laughing whenever Roroturo said his cheesy jokes. She'd take a glance at Killua every now and then, though, smiling to herself whenever she caught him laughing with Gon. She noted that they were having fun. Roroturo even offered free appetizers for the three of them.

It was a good 20 minutes of talking when the middle-aged man stood straight. "Alright!" He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "I should get going now. Costumers are waiting."

Gon and Killua nodded.

The man turned to Yuhi. "Yuhi, attend to your friends, alright?" The auburn-haired girl smiled and nodded. Roroturo chuckled and patted the girl's head before waving a hand at them. "Ja!" He then left the three while he worked in his counter. The costumers were piling up since it was about rush hour at that time.

"Roroturo-san's so cool!" Gon noted, amused.

Yuhi turned to him and smiled brightly; awed of the fact that Gon was so enthusiastic about talking to the man.

"You said he's your guardian, right?"

The girl nodded. "Yep, he is."

Gon swallowed a scallop before asking, "Where are your parents?"

At first Yuhi's expression was replaced with a wide-eyed gaze after hearing the question. It has been a long time since people asked where her parents were. But luckily, she still remembered her answer back then. It should still be the same answer she would give Gon. A refreshing expression painted her face. Yuhi shrugged. "I don't really know," she declared. Her tone was as normal as it can be.

Killua heard her. He turned his gaze towards the girl and waited.

Gon's big brown eyes grew wide. "Really?"

Yuhi gave out a small airy laugh because of the response given by Gon–a response she was most at home with every time she answered that question. "Yeah, I never really met them. Roroturo-san told me they died when I still a baby."

Killua blinked.

The spiky-haired boy sat up straight. "Oh, I'm sorry for asking!" His eyes were wide and his pitch stepped an octave higher.

Surprise filled the girl's countenance at that. She shook her head and waved her hands. "No, don't be! It's totally fine. People always ask me things about my parents so, I don't mind at all."

Gon laughed sheepishly and rubbed his nape while Killua looked at him as if he was waiting for his best friend to say something. When Gon started speaking, Killua let out a small expecting grin across his lips. He knew the spiky-haired boy could never let his curiosity pass. Gon played with his noodles. "So, uh… well, I mean, do you know who they are?" he asked carefully.

Yuhi resisted the urge to look at the white-haired boy who was also waiting for her to answer. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Nope, didn't get to know them. But Roroturo-san said they were good people. I didn't ask much about them, too." It was true. When Yuhi was a child, when her friends then first asked where her parents were, that was the only time she asked Roroturo about them. And after that, she never insisted the man to tell stories about where her parents came from. Her guardian only told her that they were good friends of his, and that they were good people. That was enough information for Yuhi. And since Roroturo's her only family now, she tried focusing more on what she has instead of figuring out things from the past. She felt that if she did so, it will be so unfair to the man who had her since she was a baby. Gratitude and respect; she'd give her parents that. But love and care; that's what she owes Roroturo in the present time.

Gon cocked his head to the right. "Don't you want to get to know them?"

Yuhi thought of it for a while. And after a 3-second pause, she smiled and shook her head again. "Not yet, I guess."

"Doesn't that mean you're running away from your past?"

Doki.

The girl's smile disappeared. She blinked and turned her gaze to the boy who spoke. Killua looked serious when he asked the question. Yuhi immediately removed her eyes from his intense ones. She looked down.

"Killua!" Gon sharply whispered to his best friend.

The addressed shrugged. "What?"

Both of them then turned their gazes at the girl and waited for her response.

"I don't think so," Yuhi silently muttered, then looked at them again with a bright smile on her face. "I think it's because what I have right now makes me happy." She wholeheartedly meant that, all the while thinking of the most important people in her life–including the white-haired boy who asked the question.

A huge smile slowly painted its way across Gon's face.

Yuhi saw that. She gave out a small laugh as she looked Gon. But the suspense of waiting for the reply of the other boy made her pulses race. She finally gained the courage to look at Killua, trying so hard not to let go of the smile she had after seeing the indifferent expression on his face, looking back at her.

Killua winced and looked away. "How cheesy."

Yuhi was mortified. But she tried her best not to show it. Without removing the smile on her face, she slowly nodded and turned to face the bar again, eyes set down her bowl of ramen. Her palms and ears felt hot at that time because of embarrassment. _Did I sound stupid?_

"We're actually the same, Yuhi!"

The addressed turned her gaze from the bowl to the sparkly brown eyes of Gon. She blinked and cocked her head to the right. "You mean…"

"Yeah! I don't have my parents with me either," Gon declared; his voice still optimistically high-pitched as before.

Yuhi sat straight. It was the first time she knew of someone who shared the same sentiment as her in terms of bloodline. "Really?"

"Yes." Gon nodded. "And I understand why you didn't want to find out more about them, because you have Roroturo-san, right? He's your father and mom now, right?"

A smile escaped the girl's lips. She nodded cheerily. "That's right."

Gon turned to look at the white-haired boy beside him. "Maybe that's why she said she's not running away from her past, Killua," he told him with a slight chuckle escaping his throat.

The latter gave him a look. "Ugh. Whatever."

"But I think the reason why Killua asked that is because it wouldn't hurt if you try to know who they are, right? Even though Roroturo-san is your family now."

Yuhi nodded slowly, understanding what Gon had to say. She suddenly remembered how interested she was to know about her parents when she was younger, but Yuhi then thought it might somehow hurt Roroturo's pride if ever she insisted him to tell stories about them. However because of what Gon had said, her interest came back, and it should never hurt Roroturo in any way, right?

"I'm actually trying my luck to find my dad."

Yuhi stared in Gon's eyes for a while. "He's… alive?" she guessed carefully.

Gon laughed. "Yep, that was what Mito-san told me."

The girl blushed for a second, realizing how absurd her question was. Then she instantly remembered one thing she had been wondering about since the school year started. "Why did you move here, by the way?"

Gon paused then he looked at his best friend.

Yuhi's eyes grew wide. She waved her hands as she smiled in a sheepish kind of way. "I'm sorry. It's okay if you don't answer it."

The spiky-haired boy then turned to look at her. He smiled. "No, it's okay. We moved her because Mito-san wanted to have grandma checked by a doctor near this town. We're from an island, you see, so the medicines are not that effective compared to what the doctors recommend to buy in a place like this."

The girl nodded slowly. "Is Mito-san your guardian too?"

Gon nodded. "She's my aunt! She takes care of me and Killua and she cooks so well too!"

"Oh!" Yuhi smiled at the latter part of the sentence. But something caught her curiosity. Though she was hesitating on whether she should ask–on whether she _could_ utter _his_ name aloud or not. _Takes care of Gon and Killua…_

"Killua and I live together, by the way!" Gon announced.

There was the answer. Yuhi's eyes grew wide. She wasn't expecting anything like that at all. "Really? You're related?"

"Yep!" Gon answered. Then he laughed as he shook his head. "I mean, no! Killua's my best friend!" He looked at the white-haired boy again before turning back to the girl. "He lives with us!"

With reflex, Yuhi answered back instantly. "How come?"

"I'm going to the washroom."

Yuhi turned her gaze towards the boy who stood up. He was looking at her. Yuhi can feel her heart skipping several beats again. She looked back, delighting herself with the sea-blue orbs of Killua, but still feeling quite confused.

The white-haired boy placed his hands inside his pockets. "Uh… washroom? Where?"

_Oh!_ Yuhi blinked and looked around and shakily pointed at the door near the staircase. "T-There! Washroom!" Her nerves took charge of her pitch.

Killua tapped Gon's shoulder once before leaving the two.

Yuhi felt quite relieved that Killua was out of her sight for a while. It gave her a breather–since the presence of the white-haired boy made her pulses race faster than a race car on asphalt. She returned her gaze towards Gon, hoping to continue where they left off.

The latter returned to Yuhi as well. "It's because Killua left home," Gon uttered with a small smile on his face.

_What…?_ Her heart swelled after hearing that sentence and Yuhi subconsciously turned her gaze towards where Killua disappeared into. She suddenly became more curious about the background of her white-haired angel. Before she would force her brain not be like that, but at that moment, the mystery enticed her. She became more interested about him. She wanted to know where he came from, and the story behind it. "Why?"

"Killua and I met in Whale Island two years ago," Gon started. Yuhi looked at him to listen intently. "He looked like he came from a battle ground that time." He laughed. "He was so full of bruises and scratches and scars. I didn't even know how he got them!"

Yuhi blinked. She couldn't imagine that dreamy face having bruises and scratches.

Gon continued. "He was alone that time when he came inside the bar. Mito-san owned a bar, you see, and minors aren't allowed inside so she asked me if I could talk to Killua about that rule. And since then we became friends!" He laughed again, but after a second or two Gon's countenance became slightly serious, yet that smile was still plastered on his face. "That's also the time when I learned about why he was there. He said he left home. So I asked Mito-san if we could let Killua in. It's funny because she said sure, but only for a week. But Killua stayed with us for more than two years now!"

Gon's smile was brightly wide and Yuhi returned it wholeheartedly. It was a strange and glorious way of meeting, she thought–kind of like those stories she would read in a fairy tale. But something still bugs her. She couldn't let it go. "Did he tell you where he came from?"

Strangely enough, Gon paused and turned to look at the door where Killua went in. He blinked, and looked back at Yuhi, slightly leaning forward as though he didn't want anyone to hear about what he was about to say. "Killua told me not to tell anyone about it."

Yuhi leaned forward a little as well. She nodded and listened to the silent declaration of Gon. Her racing pulse doubled its pace as the seconds of suspense ticked by. She didn't know why, but she felt that the revelation of Killua's being would influence her feelings for him greatly.

Gon made a starter sound. Yuhi held her breath. "But Killua is–"

"Gon, you done? Let's go home."

Both Gon and Yuhi sat up straight after hearing that weary voice from the person they were talking about.

The latter's life muscle felt like it would burst out of her ribcage. She gripped her shaky fingers together and held them against her chest. Every pulse in her body was throbbing hard and loud against her ears.

The spiky-haired boy laughed nervously, not knowing where to look. "Oh! K-Killua! You're here!" Gon tried to smile.

Killua's eyebrows furrowed with a twisted confused expression on his face as he sat on his stool. He looked at his best friend questionably. "What were you talking about?" he carefully asked, glancing at Yuhi and back at Gon.

The latter shook his head immediately. "Nothing!"

The white-haired boy looked at him for a while then he shook his head. "Whatever. Let's go home. I want to sleep. It's been a hell of a week, you know." Killua turned in his seat and leaned his back on the back, placing his hands behind his head. "School's crazy," he muttered silently as he closed his eyes.

Yuhi looked at Killua that time. A nostalgic feeling came crashing against her chest at the view of him sitting there and looking like he doesn't care a thing in the world. _Hallway…_

"Sure! I need to go to the washroom first," Gon announced.

_Eh?_ It led Yuhi away from her imagery. She looked at Gon with a surprised look on her face. _Don't leave–_

"Wait for me, Killua, ne!"

The auburn-haired girl watched Gon as he sprinted towards where Killua disappeared into earlier, leaving her and her white-haired angel alone together. Her pulses raced as her gaze fell directly at him the moment Gon disappeared from their sight. Killua again noticed her gaze. He looked back. Yuhi instantly gave him a smile. But the boy only looked away and closed his eyes.

Yuhi sighed and looked down, trying so hard to avoid eye contact with Killua. As she turned in her seat, she thought of what Gon had told her about the white-haired boy. She stared at her almost empty bowl of ramen while thinking. _Bruises? Scratches?_ The moment Gon mentioned that starting sentence to her, she felt as though her chest would fall to the ground. She didn't know why thinking about Killua having bruises and scratches made her feel so… sad. Yuhi's eyes grew wide. _Was he a subject of punishment in his home?_ A frown replaced her then bright countenance. She couldn't help but turn her gaze towards the white-haired boy to her left in wonder. _Scars…_ She scanned his exposed skin carefully with her eyes, trying to look for proof about what Gon had said. No, the upper garment of their uniforms was long-sleeved. That wouldn't help. Yuhi's eyes shifted from the boy's arms to his face. There she saw a small faint mark on his cheek. Yuhi narrowed her eyes. She almost leaned closer to have a better look when Killua opened his eyes and looked at her. She tensed. Killua's gaze was intense.

"Do you need something?"

Yuhi shook her head and immediately went back to delighting herself with the carrots and noodles that floated in her soup of ramen. "Nothing," she muttered, feeling her throat throbbing fast.

"I'm back!"

Yuhi turned to the boy who spoke. She smiled at him.

Killua hopped off the stool and placed his hands in his pockets. They both looked at Yuhi.

The latter stood up from her chair. "Thank you for today, by the way!" She looked at Gon as she spoke.

Gon nodded. "Thanks for the delicious ramen! And we had fun, right, Killua?" He turned to his best friend who gave him a single nod. He then smiled back at Yuhi while hoisting something from his pocket.

Yuhi knew what it was. She shook her hands in front of Gon. "Oh no, this one's free of charge."

The spiky-haired boy's eyes grew wide. "Free of charge? Why?"

The girl laughed. "It's my treat! You don't have to pay for it."

Gon's eyes lightened up. "Really?"

Yuhi laughed again and nodded. "Yep!"

"Are you sure? Roroturo-san might scold you, ne."

Yuhi shook her head firmly. "Nope, I'll bet he'll also say the same to you," she said with a smile.

"Are you sure?"

Yuhi nodded.

"Really?"

She laughed again. "Yes, it's free, I assure you."

A smile then slowly formed across Gon's face. "Hmm… Well, if you insist then, okay!" He let out an airy laughed which Yuhi finds incredibly adorable. "Thank you for the food!"

"Leaving so soon, kids?"

The three of them all turned their head towards the man who spoke behind the counter. Gon was the one who answered. He nodded. "Thanks for the delicious ramen, Roroturo-san!"

The man laughed. "Don't mention it! You can come back here anytime you want! Take care on the way home, you guys!"

Gon held his hands in fists. "Awesome!" He then waved at him. "Thanks, Roroturo-san! See you!"

Roroturo waved a hand and looked at Yuhi who nodded at him.

The latter escorted them out of the shop and stayed with them until a bus stopped in the terminal. When the transportation came driving in, Yuhi turned to the two boys. "Thanks again!" She smiled at them. "See you around school on Monday!"

A bus then stopped in front of them.

Gon returned a bright smile of his own. He waved at Yuhi. "Thank you! See you on Monday too, Yuhi!"

She waved back. "Take care, Gon!" Her heart was pounding hard and loud against her chest while she thought of what she was going to do and say next. Yuhi looked at the white-haired boy behind Gon. She took a deep breath. "Take care, Killua." The butterflies in her stomach broke free when she mentioned his name. Her tone was silent and shy, but it was so full of emotion.

Killua, who was about to hop in the bus, looked over his shoulder–his somnolent blue eyes meeting Yuhi's bright auburn ones. The girl couldn't help but smile, both to herself and to the white-haired boy who was looking at her. Killua blinked, and before turning to enter the bus he muttered a silent "Ja."

Glittery sparks flew everywhere in Yuhi's vision and church bells rang inside her mind as she watched everything in slow motion.

Gon waved at Yuhi as the bus raced away from her. She waved back with a smile on her face and with a heart-warming feel in her chest, blushing on the way home.

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_Thank you precious people; AKatsinTcups, Pika Yuhi-chan, Lani0108, 2102032, Mai, madin456, omglolyolo, Luxvo-vona (the-ultimate-star) for the wonderful reviews in the previous chapter! I am so happy, your reviews gave me strength. You all made my week. Thank you so much :')_

_Replies to guest reviews, guys:_

_To 2102032. So that's what it was! Haha! I feel like I failed you this time, though, because you said you'd camp in front of your computer for this chapter. Sorry if it's late. Hihi ^^"_  
_To Mai. I am glad you noticed that! Thank you! That, my friend, would be revealed in the story. Haha! So stay tuned, please :D LOL, my mom called me several times while writing this as well. She even scolded me. XD_  
_To omglolyolo. Hello, reader! Thank you for reviewing! Here's another chapter. And there will be more if you'd keep uuuuup. *smiley*_

**A few notes:  
**

I think I should explain little things about my writing style. You see, I tend to be very twisted in terms of word-use. Sometimes even the tiniest detail might turn the whole story around. So, if you're reading long-shot stories of mine, I suggest you be very sensitive with the words and addresses that I use, ne? Because by the end of the story or of a chapter, if you tend to overlook things in the beginning, you'll be so puzzled as to why a certain thing happened. And you'll end up thinking it through or asking me about it. (I swear this happened to me and I had to read the book all over again). It kinda spoils the whole "the story will speak for itself" stuff, right? A little tip: I usually do these twisting things under the supporting characters' dialogues or POV. So yeah, there ya go :D

Again and again and again with this endless tireless footnote; please, please, please review everybody! Yuhi's system's kinda bugged so she needs your support to keep on going. Please review! Thank you so much arigatou! 3


	6. Rain Or Shine Wonderment

A/N: It is the exams week in here, everyone. *tired applause* HAHA! But I won't get shaken by that. I updated early, see? Hiiihiiii~ I apologize for the previous chapter; though your wonderful feedback said it was great, I still feel like it lacked some essential things. But I'll deal with that myself. lol How was your week, by the way? Mine was super busy! Ugh. But it was the fun-busy kind of busy. lolwhut? /sigh/ I wish I'm as optimistic as Yuhi in real life. XD

_Doki = sound of a heartbeat_

DISCLAIMER: Yuhina Nagame is muuuuyn. *smiley*

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER SIX  
**Rain Or Shine Wonderment**

"Do you know how careless you were? What if they did something to you? You can't always trust people in an instant, Yuhi. That's why we have this word called 'caution'. And you only talked to them, what like, two times! What were you thinking? You're a girl. People take advantage of that. It's the most demoralizing thing in the world for females, _but_ it's true."

The addressed blinked immensely as she sat up straight, playing with the sheets of her bed with her free hand. She looked out the window of her room where morning sun shined brightly in the clear blue skies. A pout voluntarily escaped her lips. "But I'm not doing anything wrong, Sejin," Yuhi countered, sounding firm as her words. She gripped her phone tight against her right ear.

The voice from the other line heaved a deep sigh. "Yes, I know that, but you should have been a little careful with your actions. We don't know them well enough to bring them home."

Yuhi sighed and nodded slowly. "I'm sorry." She looked down and fiddled with her toes. Yuhi had called Sejin to ask things about the exams papers because apparently, she was correct; they really were difficult to understand – but throughout the conversation, because she couldn't hide her excitement about what happened the day before, she carelessly mentioned stuff about Gon and Killua going home _with_ her. Although she explained that they only tried to help, and that they only went there because they wanted ramen, their raven-haired president still couldn't approve of it.

Sejin's tone changed when Yuhi mentioned 'Gon and Killua' and 'going home with them.' Yuhi thought her sentence was improper according to Sejin's moral vocabulary, but all of it was true. She even wanted to happily share what happened that day in detail but she figured she'd have to ask permission first before she could do that. And though she truly appreciates the concern, of what Sejin said about trusting people and being careful, she couldn't help but frown. _But they only wanted to have ramen…_

"Don't tell me it's because of that Killua boy–"

"Eh!?" Yuhi cut Sejin immediately after hearing that name. She sat straight, surprised. She couldn't agree with that. "It's not _only_ because of him, ne!" Again her tone was firm, but she tried her best not to sound too defensive. _Wait, was I defensive?_

"Well, whatever the case, you should at least be cautious next time. You trust people too much, Yuhi. That's your blind spot." Sejin ended the sentence with another frustrated sigh.

The auburn-haired girl closed her eyes and nodded firmly, understanding the things her seatmate had told her. "Yes, I will be more cautious next time," she declared with a smile on her face. She opened her eyes then, her light auburn orbs shined bright with the rays of the sun. "But I know I can trust them, Sejin. Gon's nice!"

"Gon? What about the other one?"

A goofy smile spread across Yuhi's small face as she remembered her last encounter with her angel. She giggled, but it sounded like a goofy laugh. "He's…" Then she recalled the short exchange of words she had with him, and the thing that happened while they walked to the bus stop, and how he recognized her when Gon introduced her to him. Yuhi pressed her lips together to suppress her seemingly wide smile. _He's charming, and refined, and lovely, and handsome, and beautiful._ She took a deep breath before answering. "He's… fine." It was below the terms of understatement, but she had to keep it average at least, knowing that Sejin has had enough of her words of praise towards the white-haired boy.

Another sigh. "Whatever he does, you find it absurdly amazing anyway." Sejin's tone was back to normal, and sounded as though she was smiling from the other line.

Yuhi laughed at the sentence of her seatmate–because it was true.

"Are we done now? It's already 10 in the morning. I still need to finish a lot of things."

The auburn-haired girl nodded and stood up. She walked towards her study table where the school work was waiting. "Yep! Thanks for the help, Sejin. See you tomorrow!"

"Sure! Bye."

The line then went dead.

Yuhi glanced at the clock on her dresser. 10:10 AM. Her stomach grumbled. She rubbed her belly, realizing that she hasn't gone downstairs and had breakfast yet. Yuhi stared at the clock once more and calculated the time she had to eat, to study, to check the exam papers, and to work in the shop that day. A small smile escaped her lips when everything was set in her head. She sprinted down the stairs to the shop's kitchen.

"Good morning, Yuhi!"

"Morning, Yuhi!"

"Morning, Yuhina!"

"Good morning!"

The employees–and good friends of hers–in the shop greeted her cheerily as she walked past them. She equally gave a refreshing smile and greeting to them as well for an equally pleasant and fresh morning. Her morning has been amazing so far. When she woke up, she was smiling, and she felt light on her feet as she rose from the bed–looking at the bright sunrise immaculately shining through the horizon. She couldn't count how many times she sighed with awe as the happy feeling from the day before touched and tickled her heart and made her giggle in delight. She even felt like doing her life chores wholeheartedly–the school work, the housework, and the job in the ramen shop–and maybe even run a marathon in between those. Yuhi just felt so incredibly and absolutely extra… _hyper_ that day.

When Yuhi entered the kitchen, she had a sunny smile on her face. "Good morning, Roroturo-san!" She scanned the perimeter of the kitchen, and glancing at the calendar hanging on the wall, she almost bounced in excitement. "Hey, It's almost your birthday!" she announced, clasping her hands together and placing it lovingly against her chest.

The addressed turned around from the sink and gave an equally optimistic smile of his own as he wiped his hands with a towel. He laughed. "Yeah, well, good morning to you too!"

"I'll buy you something so wait for it, Roroturo-san!" Yuhi's smile grew wide as she pulled a chair from the kitchen's long table, sitting there and scanning the food placed therein. She inhaled the deliciously hot smoke from the freshly cooked soup in the huge bowl in the middle of the table. The smell made her tummy happy. She took a piece of bread from the tray next to it, and stuffing it in her mouth she hopped off the chair to get a spoon and bowl from the rack while humming a tune to herself.

Roroturo watched Yuhi as she walked past the man. He leaned his back against sink counter and blinked with a slightly amused look on his face. "You're in a good mood today," he observed, smiling.

The girl turned to look at her guardian before sitting back on the chair. She laughed. "I'm always in a good mood." Scooping a good amount of soup from the huge wooden basin and pouring it to her small porcelain bowl, she looked at Roroturo and gave him a toothy grin. "Have you eaten?" she asked innocently as she took a bite from the bread in her hand and took a sip from her bowl of hot soup.

"Yeah, I have." The man released a husky chuckle and walked towards the table, leaning his elbows on the back support of a chair next to where Yuhi was seated in. "You look extra happy today. What's up with that?"

The latter paused for a second to try and hide the giggle that was forcing its way out of her system. When she realized that she couldn't, she let it go and tried to sound like she was laughing at her guardian. Well, she'd truly laugh at her guardian; for Roroturo has always been like that towards her whenever he couldn't comprehend why and how her mood had moulded. Roroturo always wanted Yuhi to share her sentiments and thoughts towards him, and the latter complied happily all throughout–that made the bond between them grow strong. But Yuhi would tell Roroturo anything but her girly affiliations. She needed to hide them, even though she knew she was so bad at deceiving people. She was thankful of the heavens for giving her an exuberant personality, though, because if she had not been all jolly and cheery since she was born, Roroturo and all of the other people would easily see how her mood changed whenever she thought or saw that beautiful white-haired angel. Another giggle escaped her throat when _his_ face went past her thoughts again, looking at her guardian with a goofy smile on her face and taking a bite from her piece of bread.

Roroturo glared at her playfully. "Did something happen that I don't know, huh, Yuhi?" he asked carefully, sounding comically serious.

Yuhi swallowed a spoonful of soup and sat straight. "Well, I made new friends!" Her smile was wide. "And I managed to get a good night's rest!" And nothing can be more honest than that! Maybe that was one of the reasons why she felt awesome when she woke up–because the weariness from the past week had disappeared after resting comfortably. But of course, knowing that there was still something else other than _that_ reason, she couldn't help but smile wide.

Another playful glare was given by the man. Then he released a wide grin as he seated himself on a chair adjacent to Yuhi. He pulled his elbows on the table and leaned forward, watching her adorably childish descendant eat her breakfast. "You didn't tell me about Gon and Killua before," he started.

Yuhi choked; not because of the thought that Roroturo might have noticed her affection towards the latter, but because of the giggle that instantly went out of her system when she heard his name being said aloud. She coughed, and laughed–both at herself and at choking.

Roroturo was alarmed at first, but his face shifted to a playfully sneering expression when he heard the laugh from the girl. "What did I tell you about eating slowly, Yuhi?" he sardonically asked.

The latter laughed more. "Sorry, the soup got caught in my throat."

Roroturo laughed with her, shaking his head in faked disbelief. "Really, you clumsy child…" He joked. He then rose from the chair, and hoisting a tumbler from the rack he walked towards the fridge to get a glass of water.

Yuhi was wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. She thought of how stupid and childish she was at that time. It made her laugh. _What's happened to meeee?_ She took the glass of water Roroturo placed in front of her and smiled at him as he returned to the chair where he was seated earlier. "Thank you!" She swallowed everything in the glass and released another chuckle while smiling at her guardian. "Sorry, Roroturo-san."

The man too released a husky chuckle and leaned his back comfortably on the back support of his chair. "Eat _slowly_," he ordered teasingly.

Her laughter had a withdrawal syndrome. Yuhi was still releasing small chuckles as she continued with her soup. Then she remembered that she had to answer her guardian's question. She took a deep breath before speaking–because like before, for a reason she couldn't explain, saying Killua's name aloud was something kind of… challenging for her. She hesitates at first, and it makes her feel shy. Maybe because she like, like him? But whenever she gained courage to utter his name aloud it makes her want to sing. She swallowed soup. "Gon and Killua were the transferees I was talking about before." She smiled widely inwardly as she looked down.

"Come again?"

Yuhi looked back at her guardian again–curious about his strange response.

Roroturo raised his eyebrows. "I didn't hear you, Yuhi. You were whispering."

The girl's eyes grew wide. _I was?_ Then she again laughed at herself. _Aww, I said his name but Roroturo-san didn't even hear it, too bad._ "They were the transferees I was talking about," Yuhi slowly announced. No, she still couldn't utter his name aloud.

Roroturo nodded. "Oh, really!? But you only talked about them once or twice, I think! I was surprised when you brought them here, you know."

Yuhi smiled sheepishly, turning away from the soup to look back the man. "Yes, uh… they weren't really my classmates so I kind of have nothing to say about them _before_." _Yup! And I couldn't talk about... Jiiihihihi._ A giggle made its way through her system again. She shrugged it out.

Roroturo laughed. "And now they're your friends. What's up with that?"

The auburn eyes of Yuhi stared at the middle-aged man with a mix of confusion and amusement written all over her face. Roroturo had not questioned Yuhi's friendly affiliations before. _What's up with…?_ But instead of pushing through with her curiosity, she answered honestly and with a smile. "Maybe it's because Gon's super friendly." Her face lightened up when she remembered that day when Gon said he was trying to look for her. She laughed. "He even went to our room so we could have a proper introduction because," she inhaled air, series of airy chuckles escaping her throat, "I don't even know why. He just bumped into me the day before that when Mr. Yama ordered me to clean the rooms because I slept in his class. We couldn't talk for long that day because Killua was…" Yuhi trailed off, realizing what she had said. A smile escaped her lips–a smile she didn't know she showed.

Roroturo's eyes grew wide with that. He looked down, and then back at Yuhi again–seeming as though he was hesitating a bit as he leaned closer to the girl. He cleared his throat loud, catching her attention.

Yuhi looked at her guardian, and immediately erased the smile from her face when she saw the same look Roroturo had when she brought Gon and Killua with her the day before. "Why?" she asked, eyes wide with innocent curiosity.

Roroturo cleared his throat again and leaned forward. "Let's have a little chat about… things, alright, Yuhi?" he almost whispered, and he wouldn't meet the bright eyes of Yuhi for some reason.

The latter pressed her lips together as she cocked her head to the right. "Alright," she carefully answered, noting that her guardian was becoming serious.

"If you…" The man took a deep breath. He looked at his hands as he fiddled with his fingers. "If–" he paused, coughing out the invisible rock that blocked his throat.

Yuhi's eyebrows creased. She remained confused.

Roroturo sighed and finally looked at the waiting girl. "If someone wanted to… see you, you'd tell me, right?" His voice was firm.

Again, the auburn eyes of Yuhi grew wide with confusion. She blinked several times before cocking her head to the side and replying with an "Eh?" She couldn't understand what her guardian was trying to say.

"I mean…" Again the man hesitated at first before sighing and nodding to himself. "If someone would tell you they wanted to… go out with you or something, you would tell me first. Right?" Roroturo declared. "You'd definitely tell me first, right? Because if that boy's a complete wreck I'd smash his face in."

Yuhi paused for a second to process what Roroturo had said. _Roroturo-san had been…_ Then she laughed out loud, smashing the table with her small hands.

Roroturo's small grey eyes grew wide with surprise. He sat straight, looking as though someone set fire inside the ramen shop. He looked around, puzzled. "Why? What? Did I say something funny? Why are you laughing? Hey!"

Yuhi laughed even more, knowing that her guardian wouldn't get offended by it. _Roroturo-san sounded like a new dad that didn't know what to do with his girl kid, ne!_ "You look funny!"

Roroturo blushed for a second. "Hey, don't change the subject here. I was talking about you!" But Yuhi continued to laugh. Roroturo almost stood up. "I was being serious, hey!"

The girl then managed to calm down. She took deep breaths as she suppressed the laughter that was still pushing its way out. Yuhi nodded slowly. "Of course I will, Roroturo-san! They should absolutely go through you first before anything else in the world!" she wholeheartedly declared with her fist in the air, awed of the fact that her guardian was so protective towards her.

The man coughed and nodded slowly. "Good. And you'd tell me if you have someone you kinda… uh… like… okay?" he hesitated a bit, trying to find the right words. But Roroturo sounded firm in his words.

Gulping was necessary. A certain white-haired boy went past Yuhi's thoughts when Roroturo said his sentence. She paused, thinking of a compromise. _Well, I don't really expect something to happen between us so… I like him but…_ A goofy smile spread across Yuhi's face when she confessed that sweet fact to herself. _I kinda don't need Roroturo-san's approval whether we should… or not, right?_ She nodded cheerily. "Sure!" It made her concern about telling Roroturo-san her _thing_ for Killua die down even just one bit.

The man then laughed as he stood up. He patted the girl in the head. "Well, glad that's settled!" He eyed Yuhi. "Don't use this conversation to blackmail me, Yuhi," Roroturo playfully threatened.

The girl giggled. She then nodded once with a firm look on her face. "I won't. I promise."

"Alright." Roroturo then pulled the chair away and walked towards the door to the bar outside the kitchen while saying "I like that Gon kid, by the way," before winking at her. Then he disappeared.

Yuhi chuckled and went back to her soup, thinking of how cute her Roroturo-san was. But realizing the man's last sentence she was quite alarmed. Their conversation was about boys and going out, right? So, _Gon…?_ She pouted. _Aww…_ Then she shrugged, smiling to herself as she ate. She didn't want to pick favourites but, she at least wanted to hear someone pair the spiky-haired boy's _best friend_ to _her_. People pairing her up with Gon made her laugh though. But then again, it doesn't matter. Gon's her friend and Killua's… her secret love life, and she didn't want a change with that.

The sunny and gleeful Sunday continued on and Yuhi did her work with her normal exuberance and jolly countenance. She only hoped that it would be with her until the coming week. But nah, it should be, because she will be seeing people she loved seeing in school after all.

* * *

"Ugh…"

The unison groans and sighs echoed inside the girls' locker room while they dress up in comfortable uniformed shirts, shorts, and sneakers. It was a Monday, it was the P.E. hour, and it was raining. They weren't in the mood for Physical Education.

"I wish Ms. Juno would postpone archery today. I feel like I won't be able to lift my arms. I just want to slack in bed! Look!" a girl complained to her classmate, raising her arms and slumping them back to her sides in a weary manner.

The classmate agreed with her with a nod. "Yeah, me too." Then they both sighed.

"Why?"

A certain energetic voice grabbed their attention. The two girls turned their gazes to the person who spoke. "What do you mean 'why'? It's raining and the sky's so dull! Don't you feel sleepy and lazy at all?" the one who complained first asked in disbelief.

The auburn-haired girl who spoke gave them a wide sunny smile. "Nope!" she exclaimed cheerily.

The two girls looked at each other before shaking their head and smiling back. "Yuhi's always energetic, ne. I wonder where that energy of yours comes from. And yet you sleep in class!"

Yuhi rubbed her nape. "Yeah, I don't know about that either. But I'm sure P.E. will be great today!"

They laughed teasingly. "But you suck at it, to be honest."

A sheepish smile. "I know. I _really_ suck at it, ne?" They all laughed.

"Girls, gym. Now," their raven-haired president then announced. And everyone dispersed out of the locker room to head inside the gym.

* * *

The distance of the gym from the main building of the campus was not far off, but the heavy rain made it feel like they had ran a kilometre. There's a shed interconnecting the main building to the walkway outside, but it doesn't reach the gates of the gym. The students had to walk–or rather, _run_–through the downpour in order to get in class. Ms. Juno was not someone who'd be shaken by the weather after all.

"Geez! I'm all wet!"

"My shoes are muddy…"

"I have dirt spits all over my legs."

Everyone in class 2-B was complaining about the gloomy weather and what it did to them, making them wish the day–or at least the period–was over and done with. P.E. was one of the most hated subjects of the students that rainy day, because they had to go all the way to the gym as an alternative to the courts due the rain for the first time that school year.

As for our auburn-haired protagonist, well, there were many factors hindering her through it. First, she sucked at it in every single way; second, her small height was not the usual requirement for sports; and thirdly, when there's a team sport, she does not get to play that much because of the said drawbacks. However she forced herself not to hate P.E., because she didn't want to hate it. She wanted to enjoy even though she wasn't actually very good at it.

"Let's get in," Sejin announced, grabbing the door knob of the small door beside the huge gates.

Yuhi was standing alongside the class president; an excited expression filled her countenance. They normally spend P.E. period out in the courts, you see, but because of the heavy rain, their teacher, Ms. Juno announced that they should do it inside the covered gym instead. Yuhi was ecstatic, but she was forcing her mind _not_ to be excited only about the fact that _the class 2-A had the same P.E. period as them–in the gym_. She wanted to think that she was excited about P.E., which she truly was–but of course, knowing that 2-A will be there, her excitement had doubled without her consent.

So because of the latter, the moment Sejin opened the small door, the auburn-haired girl's bright eyes started scanning through the perimeter of the interior of the gym. Surprisingly, there were many who were also having their P.E. class then. Because of the dark and gloomy skies due to the heavy rains, the lights inside the gym were on and the noise from all of the corners echoed inside. It brightened the atmosphere; in contrast to the melancholic feel outside. Yuhi stepped forward as Sejin did so. Some students were sprinting after a whistle on one side of the court; other classes were practicing gymnastics and dance on the other. The left half of the basketball court was occupied by the school varsities in the said sport, and the right half was occupied by a class having a volleyball game. _The gym's packed because of the rain, ne…_

Yuhi paused in her tracks as she focused her eyes on that bunch playing volleyball. She blinked, and recognized a few people she knew. She held her breath when she saw black spikes of hair. But it was the fluffy white that made her pulses throb so hard against her skin.

Doki… Doki… Dokidokidoki.

Killua was playing.

Yuhi's heart stopped for a split second as she felt her vision zooming in towards the white-haired boy. Killua looked serious as he waited for their opponent to serve the ball. It all came to a slow motion once more as Yuhi blinked and watched Killua wipe sweat that was dropping from his chin. Her gaze then subconsciously shifted to his entire being–noting that his sleeveless shirt was sticking to his perfect build because sweat. Hot blood rushed to Yuhi's cheeks when she realized that she was staring into the sweaty bared arms of Killua. She gasped and looked away, blushing hard.

"Yuhi!"

She could have sworn she felt her heart bursting out of her chest when someone called her. Yuhi looked around to find the person. She turned around and saw Sejin in the bleachers from behind her.

"What are you standing there for? Ms. Juno will be here any second!" the class president shouted amidst the noise.

The auburn-haired girl blinked. Then she realized that the people sitting in the bleachers with Sejin were her classmates. She was left standing there and she didn't even know it! Her eyes grew wide as another blood-rush painted her face. She looked down and ran up the bleachers where her classmates were, sitting next to a black-haired boy classmate.

"We saw you, Yuhi," the boy suddenly teased, giving Yuhi a faint jab in the elbow. The other boys in the same row looked at her with goofy smiles on their faces.

The latter grew nervous. _They saw me looking at…_ She held her breath as she stared with a forced smile at the boys. "What are you talking about?" It's a good thing her galloping chest did not interfere her vocal chords.

A brown-haired boy next to the black-haired one eyed Yuhi playfully. "You're looking at that Gon guy from 2-A, weren't ya?"

_Heh–?_ An upcoming laugh hovered through Yuhi's throat. She could only laugh–because of another pairing tease towards Gon, and of gratitude; because they didn't notice that she was looking at… someone else. She shook her head. "Don't believe in everything you see, guys," she countered playfully.

"Okay, people, good morning!" A low-toned female voice grabbed the attention of the students sitting in the bleachers. They all fixed themselves and turned towards the woman who stood, facing them, at the lower-most platform of the courtside seat. She was Ms. Juno, their Physical Education teacher.

Ms. Juno was a tough looking woman in her late twenties with a slim, and perfect female build. Her long red hair was always tied in a high ponytail and she always wore this modernized costume used in traditional Jyopen culture for early-women warriors. The students noted that it looked like a revised samurai outfit. But Ms. Juno was not a swordswoman; she was a pro in archery. She even won several awards in archery competitions when she was a student. Her pupils looked up to her at that. And not only was she good in the art, she was also patient and persistent in teaching. The latter was what got the students wishing she had postponed the class instead. The boys were okay, though, because they liked Ms. Juno. She was pretty and nice after all, although she looked and sounded tough.

"I apologize for bringing you guys all the way here in the gym. But the exam's near and we need to keep up with the scheduled practical activities or else we would be short on lessons by the end of the semester." Ms. Juno then explained things the students have to do for the day. They were to have an assessment practical exam. The students went ballistic because of the surprise, but the teacher told them it was only an assessment exam, so they should worry about nothing at all. It was to test what they have learned in the past three months of archery.

While the female teacher was explaining these instructions to the kids, Yuhi couldn't help but watch the volleyball game–and Killua, of course–in action. She even knew the score; 23 for blue, and 24 for red. It's funny, because Gon and Killua were opponents for the day–the former in the blue team and the latter in the red. _But_ the white-haired boy playing inside the court was not the only reason why Yuhi got so engrossed about match. It was also because it was a tight play. The scores did not even reach a gap more than 1 point. Plus, the players were enjoying, as she could see–especially the two boys she knew well.

However she really couldn't help but turn her gaze towards Killua while the postponed revelation about him, which came from Gon, echoed inside her mind. _Killua left home… He was so full of bruises and scratches and scars. I didn't even know how he got them…_ Yuhi took a deep breath and cocked her head to the side, staring at the boy in endless wonder. Killua shined through in every way as he played. He moved perfectly and gracefully, as though he was gliding through ice when he chased the volleyballs. His light was bright, and Yuhi knew she was not the only one who sees that. Looking around she saw some girls looking at the same direction where her eyes were. There were some in the courtside, some in the bleachers, some from the on-going classes, and even some who were only standing by the door. They were squiggling in delight whenever Killua scored. She smiled at that, sighing to herself. _At least in here people make you feel treasured. I wonder if you'd notice that._

"I'll be evaluating you individually and alphabetically. Don't feel tensed, just think of what you've learned and do your best," Ms. Juno continued, hoisting the bows and arrows from inside the sack that was sitting on the floor beside her.

Yuhi nodded when she heard the last sentence from her teacher and continued to watch the game in front of her, knowing that she will be sitting there for a while. Her surname starts with an N after all. She smiled in awe when she saw Killua reach below the net to give a high-five towards Gon from the other side of the court. They walked to their respective areas and sat on the floor to rest for the second set. The red team won after a series of deuces. Yuhi inwardly cheered them on.

"Good match, I guess."

The auburn-haired girl then looked up and saw Sejin walking towards her. She beamed at her raven-haired seatmate, quite surprised that Sejin was the one who approached that time. "You were watching too!"

The latter sat beside Yuhi. "You seem mesmerized, as usual," she noted.

Yuhi chuckled, and turned to look back at the improvised volleyball court. "As usual," she repeated as she watched Gon run towards the red team's area, probably to have a chat with his best friend.

Sejin did the same.

"They play so well! I wonder how–" Yuhi paused. Gon was looking her. He gave a big wave. Yuhi instantly gave back her own big wave with a huge smile on her face. Yuhi turned her eyes from Gon, who then gave a wave to Sejin, to look at the white-haired boy beside him. Killua was in the middle of smiling when he turned his gaze towards the person his best friend was waving a hand at. His blue orbs distantly met auburn ones.

Doki. Doki. _Doki._ _Doki!_

Yuhi's life muscle was pumping off too much blood at that time. She couldn't breathe for a moment. Blood came rushing through her cheeks again. It was a good five seconds of locked gazes between the two of them–and Yuhi swore her heart would come bursting out of her ribcage if Killua continued to look back at her with that precious smile on his face–when her godforsaken nerves then told her to remove her eyes immediately from the boy's; because it couldn't take in the lovely pressure anymore. Yuhi inwardly hit her head. _Why'd you look away, silly?_ After a moment of concentration, Yuhi gained the courage to look at the white-haired boy again. But to her dismay, they started the second set already. She pouted and looked down, sighing. But remembering the stare from earlier she continuously shrugged in delight.

It was at that time when Yuhi heard her seatmate laugh. "You are so obviously attracted to him. I won't be surprised if you'd hear about him knowing all about your… feelings." It was a sardonic tone.

Yuhi looked at Sejin with wide eyes. "You think he'll notice?" It made her nervous.

The raven-haired girl pushed the bridge of her glasses as she cleared her throat. "You think he _won't_?"

A mix of horror and curiosity painted the auburn-haired girl's face then. No, she didn't want Killua to notice her… _thing_ for him. It would be so awkward, and she'd feel like she should be collecting her feelings for the boy and lock them inside a chest and throw it somewhere where she'd never see it ever again. Yuhi didn't know why but she thought that she should forget about everything if ever Killua finds out about her. The thought made her pout.

Sejin sighed frustratingly. "Why are we even talking about this?" She then stood up and offered to come down and watch their classmates. "I'll help Ms. Juno in crowd control."

After a deep breath Yuhi smiled and nodded cheerily, standing up as well and walking down with Sejin. There she cheered with everyone for her classmates as they individually stepped into the circular platform and performed the given task.

* * *

As the list in Ms. Juno's class record neared the letter N, Yuhi started feeling nervous. She was _not_ good in archery _at all_. Though Ms. Juno was patient with her, the auburn-haired girl still felt bad about it. She sure wanted to get better in the sport, but her small tough arms couldn't seem to get the graceful and relaxed posture of an archer. This was the reason why she was so jolly every P.E. hour, because she wanted to improve in something she was not born to be good at. But in her case, it would look as though she should take a gazillion archery classes more before she could say that she has improved. And to think that they would be assessed individually…

"Kiri Nado!" Ms. Juno inquired.

"Go, Kiri-chan!"

"Aim well, Kiri!"

Cheering for her classmates helped her, but Yuhi stood straight after realizing; _I'm next!_ She blinked and tried to keep her nervous nerves down. Her gaze then automatically turned towards the volleyball court. It was Killua's ball. He jumped gloriously, hitting it with a perfect spike. The team yelled in triumph for a wonderful point. Yuhi's chest swelled. She couldn't comprehend the abnormal beats her pulses were giving, but it made her smile widely. She bit her lower lip to somehow hide it.

"Yuhina Nagame!"

The addressed instantly stood straight and blinked, running towards the teacher who called her. "Yes, ma'am!"

Juno ushered her to stand in the middle of the small circular platform and handed her a bow and an arrow. "Remember, Yuhi. Focus, pull, breathe, and let go."

Yuhi nodded slowly and reached for the equipment while she repeated her teacher's words. "Focus, pull, breathe, and let go. Focus, pull, breathe, and let go. Got it, coach." Her face was serious as she handled the bow and arrow as one.

"Go, Yuhi!"

"Kill the target, Yuhi!"

"You can do it, Yuhina!"

The addressed beamed at her classmates.

The teacher gave a small laugh. "Alright. No pressure, Yuhina. This is an assessment exam. You have three tries."

The latter nodded and tried to focus. She looked at the target and pulled the weapon up, aiming the arrow towards the bull's eye. _I can do this!_ Yuhi breathed in air and pulled the string more. She concentrated, and when she felt that _instinct_ running against her spine, she let go of the arrow.

. . .

"Haha! I'm so sorry, Ms. Juno!" Yuhi laughed sheepishly as she apologized to their teacher.

The students shared silent snickers and chuckles.

Juno blinked and watched where the arrow had gone into. It flung frantically the moment Yuhi released it and landed near the teacher's feet. It almost hit her. Ms. Juno nodded slowly and hushed the class. She turned back to the girl. "That's okay. Two more tries." She handed the girl another arrow.

Yuhi took with slightly tensed hands. She did the same thing she had earlier the moment she faced the target again. But at that time she closed her eyes to focus. _I was too distracted._ She then gripped on the bow tight and put the arrow in place. She could feel it. _This should be okay._ Yuhi took two deep breaths before opening her eyes and pulling the weapon up again to aim. She stood straight and relaxed her shoulders. Another two deep breaths, a pause, and then she let go.

A silent moment passed before Yuhi jumped in delight with the brightest smile on her face. She didn't hit the bull's eye, but her arrow was near it. She suppressed a squeal, turning to her teacher. "I hit the target!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Juno smiled and nodded, hoisting another arrow from the bag. "Yes, now you should be able to do it again, right?"

Yuhi stood up straight and nodded firmly. "Yes, ma'am!" She took the arrow and placed in the bow where it belonged. _Focus, pull, breathe, and let go._ She did it, and had the arrow directing at the same spot as the second one. A wide smile painted her face as she handed the bow back to her teacher. "Thank you, Ms. Juno!"

The latter smiled. "Study your lessons, Yuhi."

The girl nodded and stepped down the platform. "Yep!" A series of congratulatory messages and high-fives were given by Yuhi's classmates as she walked past them. She beamed at them, and continued to cheer on for the next in line.

"Haruka Nichida!" Juno inquired after Yuhi stepped out.

The latter couldn't help but smile to herself with complete excitement and triumph. She had hit the target for the first time in archery! And she almost thought that it was highly impossible. But she did it, and she was so happy about the achievement.

Her gaze then turned towards the volleyball court again after that. She didn't know why but for some reason she wanted to tell Gon about it, since she had mentioned that she sucked in the sport when they talked about the P.E. subject the week before. To her delight the spiky-haired boy noticed her gaze. He beamed at the girl and Yuhi beamed back. She looked around and nodded to herself. _No white-haired angel…_

She then shrugged and went to Ms. Juno to ask permission to go the washroom. The nervousness made her bladder act up. Yuhi then went to the washroom in the far end of the gym. It was empty. No one's in there with her. She shrugged, and entered one cubicle, locking the door.

Then everything blacked out.

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_I should thank and reply to you amazing reviewers in here! Teehee~_

_To Mai: Ha! I was giggly while writing that scene. lol Yuhi made Killua an inspiration, and motivation :') Thank you for your wonderful reply on my Yuhi art in deviantart, btw. It made me squiggle in happiness, I swear!_  
_To 2102032: I agree. When I proofread it the next day I was kind of like... whattheheckdidIdotoKilluawhattheheck? But it should be part of the storyline, I'd hope. Hihi. Thank you! I am not sure about the chapters as of the moment but I feel like it would reach a 20 in the least :D_  
_To AKatsinTcups: I knew it, people love cheesy stuff! LOL There were actually a lot of errors in this chapter. You were just too tired, I guess. Because i only noticed them when I read it again the day after too XD I AGREE HXH IS DEPRESSING IT IS SO DEPRESSING TO WATCH IT TBH But it's just SO good!_  
_To xOxO Lost Angel OxOx: Hahaha! Yes, thank you! Please keep up for mooooore!_  
_To madin456: Gihihi~ I actually want to establish that thing that you noticed. And I am so glad that you liked Roroturo's personality because I personally like him too hohoho~_

_Thank you again, all, for such constant feedback! I am so incredibly flabbergasted by everything in the world because of them. XD Thank you so much 100000000000002 times!_

**NEXT CHAPTER: What blacked out? Will Yuhi be able to talk to Killua again? How will the story line between the two of them grow?**

I hope you won't get tired of reviewing! It's what gets fanfic writers moving so yeeeaaahhh... I am not forcing you guys to review, alright? I am _encouraging_ you. Teehee. Thaaaaank youuu! *^_^*


	7. All Hail The Power Shortage!

A/N: Another late one. I am super sorry. Midterm exams just wrapped up and I gave myself a breather. I wrote late. Hihi. How are you, my friends? Hope you all are fine. The weather's not very good in here. But anyway, here's the new chapter, yay! Gihihihi. A little trivia, to make up for my lost hours: Yuhi's name was supposed to be Hina. But since there's a Chimera Ant named Hina in the anime, I decided to make it a Yuhina. Heehee. Yeah, leggo!

Oh! Let me shamelessly announce that I did another messy sketch on Sejin this time. Check out the link on my profile of you wanna see :D

_Doki/Ba-dump = sound of a heartbeat_

DISCLAIMER: A fanfiction.

* * *

_Yuhi then went to the washroom in the far end of the gym. It was empty. No one's in there with her. She shrugged, and entered one cubicle, locking the door._

_Then everything blacked out._

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER SEVEN  
**All Hail The Power Shortage!**

_Eh!?_

Yuhi froze in her spot, taking in what just happened. _What…?_ She then blinked, and blinked, and blinked. _Heh–_ Her heart started beating fast because of fear. _I can't see anything!_

* * *

"Dude! Do you have an umbrella? I can't go out! The rain's so strong!"

"The principal called! Said there's a typhoon!"

"Damn it! The news said it won't hit the country not until tomorrow morning!"

"No use complaining now! Let's go, we need to call the people in charge of the electricity! The kids need to stay here for now."

"Yeah, it's too dangerous to go outside."

* * *

The sudden noise from outside echoed through the dark washroom of the gym. The lights suddenly went out. Horror filled the brain of the auburn-haired girl. She wasn't exactly afraid of the dark, she wasn't claustrophobic either, but being inside a cubicle of a washroom inside a gym of a school, who-knows-what history, was _all alone_ was a truly creepy thing! Yuhi started shaking as she was scanning the door of the cubicle from inside for the lock with her hands. She couldn't see anything, for Pete's sake. The pressure inside the closed room was suffocating her. When she felt something metallic, she almost smiled of relief. But she was yet to get of there.

Yuhi walked slowly towards where she knew the door was. She hugged herself, afraid that the horrific rumours circulating round school might come true right before her very eyes. She walked through slowly and carefully, until she bumped her nose into some wooden wall. It was the door. Yuhi again searched for the door knob with her shaking hands. Again she almost smiled of relief when she found it. But again she was yet to come out, hoping that she would see the clear of day–or at least some light–the moment she steps out.

Yuhi opened the door with a readily relieved feel in her chest, but to her terror, she only saw darkness. No, it was blackness; because not a thing was visible inside the closed covered court. The small windows at the highest part of the gym helped, but only little to none at all–because it was also so dark outside. There were noises inside, though–whistles from the teachers, roll-calls, and series of 'where are you?' and 'where's my bag?' and 'where's the door?' and 'I couldn't see anything!' It horrified Yuhi. It felt like a nightmare–she could hear people but she couldn't see them. _What is happening!?_ She widened her eyes to focus it on something she would be able to see. But no, it wasn't useful, unfortunately. Yuhi blinked immensely and looked around. Darkness. It made her dizzy. She wanted to make a run for it.

So she did, with panic slowly filling her chest. But the moment she stepped forward, she bumped into something. Yuhi's brain processed it was a human. She immediately apologized, scrambling on the floor and struggling to stand up. She wanted to cling to the person, actually, just to have someone she could hear or feel near her. But noting that the person might have walked off that time, she ignored the thought and just continued to stand up, not knowing where to go next.

It was then when she felt cool slim fingers wrapping around her left wrist. Yuhi froze, and the first thing that came to mind was something paranormal. I mean, a normal person wouldn't be able to see things in a place as dark as this, right? But the hand was carefully pulling her up. Yuhi blinked, and realized that it was the person she bumped into.

When she was on her feet, the hand let go. But Yuhi's reflexes were fast. She instantly grabbed the person's arm. Her nerves made her pull the person near her.

It gave out a faint "Oof…"

The person was a boy. A huge sigh of relief escaped Yuhi's throat. She was embarrassed, but desperate times call for desperate measures–so as they say. She sheepishly smiled. "Thank you! I mean, sorry, I couldn't see anything." Her tone was silent and shy. "C-Can you stay with me for a while?" she blurted out as fast as she could. It was an embarrassing request after all.

The boy inhaled.

Yuhi could feel him breathe air. She waited patiently for the response while thinking of what to do the moment he refuses.

"You're scared."

_Eh…?_ Yuhi's heart stopped. And she suddenly didn't know what to do at that time–let go or stay put? She felt like a lost and helpless puppy. Her knees grew weak. It wasn't because of the atmosphere, no. It was because of… _That voice…_ "H-How…?" Yuhi silently asked; her expression remained flabbergasted.

"It's obvious. You clung to me, your hands are cold, and you're tensed," the boy replied. His words were almost like mumbled out of his mouth.

Yuhi's heart then started beating fast, and faster, and faster. She then realized that she hadn't looked at the person closely yet. She turned her gaze up and focused her eyes. There it was. It was confirmed. _This person's…_ With instinct, Yuhi immediately removed her arms from around the boy's, blood filling her cheeks. She bowed. "I'm s-sorry!" Her chest was galloping with passionate emotions mixing up inside her system.

"For what?"

_For what?_ Yuhi repeated his words in her head. "F-For clinging…" No, she couldn't think of anything good.

A pause.

Yuhi thought that the boy already left her.

A rustle. "Doesn't matter," he replied with the same tone he had whenever she hears him talk to people.

The auburn-haired girl didn't know if she should jump in delight or cry in a corner at that. She remained silent, wishing that the lights would go back sooner than soon.

"You really can't see anything?"

_Doki._ Yuhi nodded. "Yes…" It was a shy reply. She could hear him sighing in frustration. She wanted to melt. But the same hand from before wrapped around her wrist; making her major arteries throb fast and hard like crazy. She looked up, seeing again that faint colour of _white_. The next thing she knew she was being pulled through the arm by Killua.

* * *

"Stay put people!" Ms. Juno, class 2-B's current P.E. teacher, exclaimed as she spread her arms out to the students near her. The dark wouldn't let her see where they were, but fortunately, the students immediately scrambled against her the moment the gym blacked out. "Don't move from your places!"

The unison noise from all over the place enveloped the covered court. It was truly dark – as in not a thing can be seen aside from the colour black. So the teachers had to keep the students in – or at least near them–to avoid any casualties.

"Ms. Juno!"

The teacher blinked and turned around. The voice she knew well came from behind her. "Sejin, why?"

The addressed shouted through the noise. "I'm going to look for Yuhi. She's in the washroom."

Juno thought of it for a second. "Stay here, Sejin. It's dark. You might trip off of something and that's dangerous. Don't worry about Yuhi. I'm sure she'll be fine as long as she stays put as well."

Sejin shook her head firm. She knew her teacher was right, because it was dark and there are no flashlights yet. But she couldn't leave a girl classmate all alone while the whole school's lights are out. "I'll be fine, Ms. Juno–"

"Stay here, Sejin. Yuhi will be fine. In a moment the lights will go back on again, I'm sure. And technical committee have flashlights so it wouldn't be a problem. Just stay here and wait."

Sejin exhaled roughly and turned her gaze around, hoping to spot people. But to no avail. She couldn't see a thing. She sighed and crossed her arms, forcing herself to understand what her teacher said.

* * *

Her hard and fast throbbing heartbeat was all she could hear as Yuhi continued to walk forward, not caring about where her feet would lead her–or rather, where the person who was dragging her would lead her. She had a mental block and a palpitating life muscle. Her joints weren't in a good shape either. Her knees felt weak–but her nerves were ecstatically hyper. She didn't know whether she'd cry or laugh because of this immense happy feeling running through her veins.

_Killua…_ His name echoed through her mind. It made her smile, thinking about how the white-haired boy was holding her wrist–again. In the back of her mind she was thinking of _why_ the boy was dragging her along, but her surprised brain cells dominated her consciousness first. However that question of _why_ was forcing its way in, making her think properly on the situation. _Killua is…_ Another smile. Then as though she had been pinched hard, Yuhi stood straight as she walked. She blinked and hesitated. "W-Where are we going?" she silently asked, scolding her throat for stuttering.

They paused in their tracks.

Yuhi gulped.

Killua retrieved his hand. He let go of Yuhi's arm. "I'm trying to help you. Isn't it obvious?" It was a mumble.

The girl looked down, rubbing her wrist where Killua's hand was wrapped around in. She didn't know what to say.

"You're Gon's friend, right?"

With surprise the girl stood up straight, her eyes wide. Killua's words echoed in her head. _Gon's friend… only?_ Yuhi almost frowned, but she shook it off immediately. She looked up, trying to focus her eyes on where she thinks Killua's face was.

"Right, ramen girl?" Killua's tone was indifferent, but it made Yuhi's pulses jump like crazy. Another rustle. "_Hallway_ girl?"

_Huh–_ A small smile subconsciously paved its way across the girl's face. She was glad about the fact that Killua remembered her–again. _But how did he…?_ The smile slightly disappeared from her face as she asked the question "How?"

Killua grimaced. "Your voice."

Yuhi could have sworn she heard birds sing when Killua said that tiny little phrase. She mentally connected lovey predicates to it; because to her the white-haired boy's tone sounded so full of… warmth.

The girl pressed her lips together and nodded in understanding. She again looked down, resisting the urge to dance goofily because of the overdose of mushy feeling in her system.

"But if you don't need my help, then–"

"No, don't–" Yuhi instantly reached out when she heard the sentence. But hearing her own sudden words made her pause, and gasp, and cover her mouth. She was about to say 'don't go!' to Killua, for crying out loud. She needed to redeem herself. "No, I mean—"

"Everyone, stay on your places!"

The noise simmered down.

Yuhi blinked and turned her gaze around to look for the person who spoke. But unfortunately, she couldn't see him.

"There's a power shortage because of the rain!" the man announced. "We couldn't let you all out. Staying is the safest thing to do right now. The weather's not very good. So please if you can all wait, settle down. We're getting the lights back on. The technical committee is on it. Thank you!"

Then the noise upped again.

Yuhi continued to stare into the darkness while trying to think of something to do–or where she should go – while the power's out. She wanted to try and find where her classmates were according to her pathway when she went to the washroom, _but_ because of the darkness, and because she didn't know in which part of the gym Killua had taken her to, she couldn't. And she knew the boy wouldn't be staying with her the whole time. _Right?_

"Ah, they didn't even say how long it'll take." Another silent annoyed mumble was released by the white-haired boy.

Yuhi turned her gaze towards the voice. Then she saw something _blue_ this time. She blinked and looked down, blushing. She knew it was _his_ eyes. _I think my eyes are getting used to the dark._ But she couldn't seem to get used to looking directly at Killua's blue orbs.

"…What?" the latter asked.

_Doki._ Yuhi shook her head. _Doki._ "Nothing…" She bit her lower lip. _Doki. Doki. Doki._

Silence.

_Doki. Doki._ Yuhi could still feel Killua standing there. She took a deep breath. _Be brave, Yuhina!_ Yuhi gathered her courage and looked back at Killua. When she again saw the colour blue, she instantly smiled her usual sunny smile. "Well, settle down, they said." She tried to sound calmed. "I think I should go stay somewhere to wait. You know… heh…" _What!?_ She bowed. "Thank you!" Then she looked back at him, blinking immensely to sort of block the hypnotizing pretty blue eyes of the boy. "Say hello to Gon for me?" Then she beamed at him again, waving a hand. "See you!"

Yuhi then walked away from Killua fast for a reason she didn't know what. Her heart was galloping because of nervousness. She didn't know why. Feeling that the atmosphere was becoming awkward, she decided to go off first, letting her reflexes do their job. Yuhi regretted that immediately, realizing what she did. She inwardly hit her head. _How could you leave him there, Yuhi? Th—_

_Bump!_

"Ah!"

Yuhi didn't realize that she was walking towards a wall. She hit her nose and forehead in, throwing her butt flat on the floor because of the impact. She rubbed the sore parts. "Ow…" A pout made its way through her lips. _Is this my punishment for doing something against my… heart?_ Yuhi almost laughed at herself because of the thought. _How cheesy._ Then sitting up straight she remembered that specific line of Killua to her last Friday. She shrugged of delight then exhaled of dismay as she dragged herself towards the wall, resting her back against it and pulling her knees up. She hugged her legs and buried her face in her arms. _Why did I walk off? It's not like me…_ She banged her forehead against the back of her hand. _Silly—_ Then she paused, a twisted expression covering her face. "Ow…" She rubbed the sore part of her forehead and went back to burying her face in her arms again.

A few minutes passed and Yuhi remained in that position, waiting for the lights to get back on, with a thoughtful mind and a bruised forehead. Her forehead took all of the impact of the hit. She massaged it for the nth time, laughing while she thought of how fast karma was–because she left her white-haired angel standing there, probably puzzled as to why she suddenly and immediately left. _He'll probably think that I'm a biased person, ne; talking for so long with Gon and hurrying away from him._ Yuhi pouted. _He even helped me many times already._ A goofy smile then spread across her face as she recalled another heart-pounding moment with Killua earlier. Of all the people in the gym, she had to bump into her white-haired angel! Yuhi did not want to let herself fall into false belief, no. But… _Divine intervention, are you my guardian angel?_ She shrugged of delight because of the happy cells that danced around inside her body. She couldn't help but giggle.

A rustle.

The girl then turned her gaze to her left to inquire what it was. Then she paused, blood rushing through her cheeks.

Doki.

Killua was sitting right next to her.

It was dark, very dark, but she can confirm it was him; because she can see that fluffy white hair dominating the darkness. She blinked, and tried to look around. But she still couldn't see a single person other than _him_. She turned her gaze back at the boy and stared out of curiosity. No one had seated near her in that area other than him–and really seated right next to her. Like, he's within arms' reach. Plus, she wondered why she couldn't see a single thing other than the small high windows, and Killua's hair. His ivory skin was also paving its way into her vision.

Yuhi gasped and turned ahead again, delighting herself with her hands. She blushed, and let out a small smile. Whatever the reason was; the moment made her happy beyond anything else in the world. And she knew it was wrong but, she thanked the rain for the power shortage, hoping it would last a little longer.

* * *

"What happened!?"

"Generator's crashed. Don't know how long this'll be fixed."

"I should call the principal. Throw me some flashlights, will ya? I need to find the teachers in here."

"Here you go, man!"

* * *

The sound of the heavy rain crashing hard against the roof, and the thunder roaring with it, echoed inside the gym like it has been implanted with a gazillion speakers in the highest volume. The sound of the people talking became very obscure. It's almost as though no one was speaking inside at all; but other than the noise from outside, the auburn-haired girl could also hear her own loud heart beating hard. _Ba-dump._ Because Killua was right there next to her. _Ba-dump._

_Does he know that I'm here?_ That was the question that swarmed inside her head over and over again. He didn't utter a syllable after sitting himself there. He just remained quiet. And his air felt calm and… comfortable. Yuhi loved the feeling, remembering that time in the hallway when Ms. Irisa sent her out. It felt warm, despite the cold atmosphere the rain was bringing in. Yuhi shrugged and rested her chin on her knees, pulling her legs in a tight embrace. A smile escaped her lips as she closed her eyes. She felt serenely calm despite her hard pounding chest. _Can we stay like this forever?_ A giggle made its way out of Yuhi's system. She bit her lip to suppress it even just a tiny bit.

"What's funny?"

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Doki. Dokidokidoki.

Once Yuhi heard that silent, tired whisper from her left, blood immediately flowed through her body fast. She sat up straight and turned her gaze to her left, meeting the blue eyes of Killua. Then she looked away instantly, blushing hard. She held her cheeks. "W-What?" Her tone was quite high from the normal one. Yuhi waited for the boy's reply with a tensed but gleeful feeling. It was a crazy mix of emotions blended into her system right at that moment.

After a five-second pause Killua replied with a silent "You're laughing."

A silent gasp escaped the girl's throat. She didn't know what to answer.

"What's so funny?"

* * *

"Hey, guys! People from town are here!"

"Finally! We'll be able to fix this in no time!"

"Yeah, and the rain's not that hard like earlier too."

"Alright, let's get to work."

* * *

Yuhi's brain processed like a malfunctioning radio, with the frequencies changing fast like crazy. The words scrambled through inside her head. And that she didn't know what to pick and how to stop them. Killua heard her giggling to herself, not knowing that the reason behind it was _him_. It was an insanely thrilling feeling; because other than that she was feeling her heart throbbing hard like fireworks were inside her chest. Her nerves were in chaos. But she managed to laugh it all off after mentally answering the white-haired boy's question: _Because I was thinking about you._ Another giggle painfully made its way out of her. She immediately shut her mouth and covered it with her hands.

But Killua heard her nonetheless. "Do you enjoy doing that?"

Yuhi's big auburn eyes blinked as she mumbled "What?" behind her palm, turning her gaze to her left. Realizing that, she instantly removed her hands from holding her mouth and hid them under her legs. "What?" She managed another sheepish smile though as she focused her eyes on Killua's hair.

The boy shrugged. "Laughing by yourself."

The auburn-haired girl could only scratch her nape while laughing sheepishly, looking down. She couldn't be guiltier than that moment–but even guiltier knowing that the person causing her happy cells to jump up and down was the one who asked the question. Yuhi returned her gaze up at the boy, ready to answer his question, when suddenly, a pair of blue eyes appeared in her vision. Her white-haired angel has had his eyes closed all this time.

Killua's gaze was towards the auburn eyes of Yuhi. He blinked. "You know I'm here."

Another gasp escaped the girl's throat. _He knows that I know he's here!_ She didn't know what to do. She immediately looked away, and delighted herself with fiddling with her fingers while she blushed. Her eyebrows furrowed incredibly as she thought of what words to pick in her head. Alas she chose to be honest. "Yes…" was the silent answer. _No use turning back now._

A pause. "Why didn't you say anything?"

The auburn-haired girl fidgeted. She didn't mind telling the truth, no. But of course she couldn't tell him all. She needed to choose her words carefully or else she might blurt out something that she'd totally regret in the future. "Because I… didn't know it was you." _Lie._ Yuhi bit her lower lip, hoping that her little white lie would work. She inwardly laughed. _Little white lie. White lie. White._

Silence.

Yuhi was becoming tensed for a reason she couldn't contemplate what. _Why am I so nervous!?_ There was pressure in the air, and it's pushing her against the wall. Maybe it's because of her hard-throbbing pulses. She needed to calm herself, and to get used to talking to her white-haired angel in normal condition. Another pray of gratitude ran through her head. She was thankful that it was dark, or else everyone would probably assume she has a fever because of her red hot face.

A rustle.

The girl readied herself this time.

"Why'd you walk out?"

Yuhi sighed after hearing the question, not knowing that she did so. She was asking herself the same thing over and over again earlier. Yuhi shrugged and smiled, quite hesitant in speaking to the boy. "B… Because I thought I should go back to my classmates, you know?" She turned her gaze towards Killua, meeting his blue orbs. Yuhi blinked her eyes and immediately looked away, blushing. "S-Sorry." She clasped her hands tight together and pressed it deep against her chest, continuously biting her lower lip. _Oh my, I'm palpitating!_

Killua winced and answered with a silent "Yeah, right."

The girl didn't mind the boy's response though, because she was dealing with her own self. She took deep breaths to calm her nerves. Yuhi was doing it as practice, you see–looking at Killua in the eyes–so that she would get used to it. But, no, his blue orbs were like lighting to her and whenever they looked back at her auburn ones she becomes struck by the gaze, and then she'd feel sparks running through her veins, and she'd see fireworks dancing behind the white-haired boy in slow motion. Then she'd realize that she had been hypnotized. But Yuhi knew she couldn't let herself give in to the illusion. She needed to be the one to talk this time–to be herself. Yuhi hesitated, but she managed her push herself to ask the question. "Do you know that I'm here?" It was an honest one. She felt her chest become lighter after speaking that sentence.

"…Yeah."

Doki.

Yuhi forced her lips to not form that goofy wide smile her system desperately wanting to ooze out of her. She wanted to dance and sing after hearing the white-haired boy's answer. _He knew that I'm here, that means he purposely went here to…_

"I told Gon; that his friend's alone," Killua added indifferently.

The small smile on Yuhi face was stagnant as she listened to what her white-haired angel's saying. Then everything sunk in. She couldn't believe that she was talking to Killua all alone! _Savour the moment, Yuhi. You're not gonna get another chance like this._

"I told him to go to you to help you with your friends or something, since apparently you don't need mine."

_Heh?_ Yuhi's sunny expression was replaced with a surprised one. She suddenly wanted to defend her reason, that that wasn't the reason why she walked off – because Killua thought that she didn't need his help at all. She subconsciously pouted because of the thought, feeling bad. But instead she decided to let him continue. "And…?"

And so he did. "He told me to come here instead, 'cause he's going to help the committee."

The girl slowly nodded and "Oh" was all she could say. _He told him to come here. Okay._ That quite spoils the fantasy. Yuhi looked down. She felt… sad, but she also felt gratified about the fact that Killua told his best friend to help her. She smiled at that, instantly shaking off the uncharacteristic feeling. "Gon's always so thoughtful, ne?"

Killua let out a sardonic chuckle. He moved, to which Yuhi assumed he crossed his arms against his chest. "Stubborn Gon's always so stubborn," he commented. His tone was silently irritated yet amused.

Yuhi silently chuckled as she returned to her previous position.

It was a few minutes of silence–of Yuhi feeling warm and comfortable beside her white-haired angel–when the latter suddenly made a sound. He cleared his throat, and uttered a silent "Hey…"

The silent whisper sent chills running up the girl's spine. It gave her a good feeling. She shrugged and with a smile replied with an "Hm?" –turning her gaze towards the boy to her left. She saw him looking at her. She gave him a smile–but in actual fact she was holding back a huge toothy grin at that time because of the mushiness.

Killua blinked and shrugged. "Aren't you supposed to go to your classmates?"

And just like some background music suddenly paused, Yuhi's mind went blank for a moment. She blinked, and almost laughed at herself. _He's right, I was supposed to find them, wasn't I?_ _Oh, but I don't want to move from this spot yet. Not yet._ Yuhi pursed her lips and smiled sheepishly. She thought it was some kind of bad thing, or a sin, that she would reason only to delight herself by staying there with Killua. But at that time she did not mind at all. So she carried on with her upcoming statement, looking down. "I... don't know where they are." Her chest made a loud and hard _thump_ after stating her reason. Yuhi released air from her lungs, glad but tad guilty. She just hopes that Killua wouldn't read between the lines of her words at that time.

"We can look for them," the boy countered.

Yuhi wanted to curse herself for the next thing she ought to say. "But it's dark."

"I hav—" A pause.

The girl turned her wide-eyed gaze at the white-haired boy out of curiosity. "What's that?" Yuhi was trying to find his blue eyes, but she couldn't see them. She figured he had his lids closed again.

Killua silently groaned. "If you want to stay here, then fine by me."

Yuhi didn't know why but she suddenly giggled at that. But hearing another sigh from her white-haired companion she blinked and sat straight, turning her gaze at his white hair. "Do you want to be here?" she asked fast.

Killua opened his eyes, shot straight into Yuhi's. His gaze was the puzzled one–questioning.

Blood rushed to the girl's cheeks in a nick of time. She looked away and fiddled with her fingers. Her eyes were unstable. "I-I mean, is it okay for you to stay… with me?" Yuhi's heart raced with her own question. She could hear sirens and fire alarms crying crazily inside her brain. _Why did I ask that!?_ Waiting for the boy's reply was all she could do.

The latter cleared his throat before answering with another silent tone. "…I don't mind."

Yuhi could have sworn her heart stopped for a second after hearing that answer from her white-haired angel. She smiled then pressed her lips together as she rested her chin on her knees, hugging her legs tightly and lovingly. She cocked her head from left to right, giggling to herself and shrugging in delight.

Killue exhaled. Yuhi heard him. "But if you don't need my—"

When the girl heard this, she again immediately cut the boy's sentence and replied with a fast "Yes, I do!" A high-pitched reply. Yuhi mentally scolded her mouth. But thinking that she had said that, might as well stick to it. She smiled at the boy, who looked at her in another questioning expression written all over his face, and thought that that might be the precious time to give her gratitude over many things concerning the two of them. She remembered it just moments ago; when she realized that she could talk to Killua properly. She has had to thank him for everything already. A sunny smile spread across her lips as she exclaimed her sentence to him. "We can talk!"

The boy's eyes grew wide, He blinked. "Okay…" Then taking a deep breath he returned to his normal air. "Shoot," he ushered.

_Ba-dump._ That was the trigger. Yuhi had to speak to him now. She blinked and looked down while she drew circles around her knees with her fingers. _Ba-dump._ _Thank him, Yuhi, just do it._ The girl took a deep breath and decided to turn her gaze towards the white-haired boy before speaking. He was looking at her, waiting. Another trigger. Yuhi looked down again and smiled and finally gained the courage to start a syllable. "I wanted to thank you."

There was a slight pause before Killua replied with a "For?"

Yuhi took another deep breath, replying with her usual high-toned small voice. "For a lot of things, like—"

"Like what?"

The girl returned her gaze back at the white-haired boy this time, but meeting his blue orbs she had locked her own auburn ones with it and continued to stare into his eyes. It was hypnotizing, and Yuhi forgot what she was about to say because of it. So instead she answered with a silent "…This…"

Killua then averted his gaze from Yuhi and closed his eyes. "This is nothing," he mumbled.

Yuhi blinked and looked away as well, blushing. _What happened?_ One moment she's fine, the next she's lost her control over her consciousness. Yuhi needed to start over. She considered that particular subject to be spoken about in the future, not at that moment. She cleared her throat to exercise her vocal chords. Taking a deep breath she smiled and turned to the white-haired boy again. "By the way, how did you know I was here?" _Good return._

Killua crossed his arms against his chest and sat comfortably against the wall. "I saw you."

Yuhi sat straight and stretched her legs, turning 180 degrees towards the boy. She sat Indian style, as though she was ready for a bedtime story from her grandma. "How? It's so dark!" No, she didn't mind about her actions then.

The white-haired boy felt her move. He opened his eyes to look at her and stared at her waiting big auburn orbs. Then he closed his eyes again, shrugging. "Well, I can see you."

_He can see…_ Yuhi gasped and recalled everything she had been doing all the while Killua was looking at her. She inwardly shrieked, and felt blood running to her cheeks again. _He can see me!_ She instantly covered her cheeks. "Really?"

Killua opened his eyes again and turned his gaze towards the girl. "How can you see me?" he asked with a slightly weary tone.

Yuhi blinked, and stared back into the boy's eyes. "I… can see you…" she muttered. Then she sat straight, and looked down; heart racing. "I— uh… I can see your hair." Yuhi sheepishly smiled and shrugged.

Killua gave a crooked grin, with a silent wince, before looking away.

Doki.

Yuhi saw that. She loved that look on his face.

"Figures," the boy noted.

Yuhi didn't want to suppress it anymore. She smiled widely and returned to her previous position, pulling her legs up and hugging them tight–feeling her heart race and seeing herself dancing with every beat of it.

A very nice feeling; that was it.

She wanted to feel it more. Yuhi took a good amount of air and looked up at the small windows of the gym to check the sky. It was still dark, but she could hear little amounts of rain dropping on the roof. "I guess they're close to fixing the electricity now, huh?" she asked aloud–both to herself and to her white-haired companion.

"Hm…" Killua replied in agreement.

Yuhi smiled, and again rested her chin on her knees, feeling the atmosphere inside the closed gym. It was quieter than before, and the coldness of the weather started enveloping the interior. Yuhi hugged her legs tighter as she felt a cold breeze brushed against her exposed skin. She was wearing her P.E. uniform–long sleeved shirt and jogging pants–sure, but her high pony-tailed hair made the nape of her neck vulnerable to the cold wind. She shrugged and smiled–picturing herself sitting there, cold, and Killua coming over to her to wrap a jacket over her shoulders. She inwardly giggled. _How cliché!_ But who was she kidding? She of course wanted the fantasy to at least come true–though not at that moment. So Yuhi decided to carry on with a conversation with Killua to which she found out to be very refreshing. That was the key; she only needed to be herself.

"You're laughing again."

The girl paused and instantly erased the smile from her face as she looked down. _Why can't I hide it?_ She pressed her lips together, and nodded firm once.

"I didn't tell you to stop," Killua added. His voice was soft.

Yuhi absent-mindedly puffed her cheeks and turned her gaze to look at the boy, again meeting his blue orbs. She stared at him, and wondered why she could see him clearly. Her eyebrows furrowed, but she wanted to smile because of the view. Killua's ivory skin glowed because of the exercise earlier at volleyball and his blue eyes shined as it reflected the lights from all over the gym. _Wait. Lights?_ Yuhi blinked immensely, and looked around. The students inside were scrambled everywhere, but she can clearly see them all. She turned her gaze to one corner after the other, and blinked and smiled. Yuhi almost jumped of delight. "The power's back on!" she exclaimed cheerily, clasping her hands together and turning towards the boy she's in company with. But realizing how close his face was she stopped.

Doki.

Yuhi blushed and immediately leaned away. She looked down. "I… I…" Nope, she didn't know what to say.

"Alright, children, we're all fine on power now. Sorry for the long wait. The rain has died down as well. Please exit the gym properly. No pushing. Thank you!" the same man from earlier announced.

Yuhi saw the huge doors of the gym being opened. She looked around to find her classmates, but she couldn't see them. _I need to get back to class!_

"Too bad."

"Huh?" Yuhi returned her gaze towards the boy to her left.

"Classes will resume, right?" Killua yawned and stretched.

Yuhi saw a tear from the corner of his eye. She subconsciously blushed and thought of how cute the boy looked. But the latter turning to look at her made her look the other way. Her heart was racing. _Easy, Yuhi. Easy! _The girl took a deep breath looked back at the boy. Meeting his eyes she smiled. "Yeah, I guess."

A pause.

The auburn-haired girl waited for a response, but Killua only looked at her. She was not quite sure whether he was looking at her straight in the eyes or not, but he was looking at her, with a quizzical look on his face. Yuhi blinked and tried to analyse where Killua's eyes were at. _My….forehead?_

"Yuhi!"

And the world returned to the auburn-haired girl when she heard someone call her name. She knew who it was. She turned away from Killua's to look around, and there she saw running towards her, her seatmate–Sejin. She smiled widely and glanced at Killua before standing up.

Sejin suspiciously looked at the boy who was standing up behind Yuhi as she reached the girl. She took a deep breath and stared seriously into Yuhi's eyes. "Why didn't you come back?" she silently asked.

The latter gave her a wide grin–to which Sejin already knew what it meant. "I couldn't see a thing."

Another deep breath. "Really?"

And another wide grin from the auburn-haired girl. "Yes."

Sejin raised an eyebrow.

Yuhi cleared her throat, and turning around she said "I was here with—"

"Killua! Let's go! Mr. Tenoshiru's doing a roll-call!"

Yuhi had her eyes fixed at the brown-haired boy who called her white-haired angel from the far end of the basketball court. Then she turned her gaze towards Killua, seeing him walking away. It alarmed her. She stepped forward. "K—" But before she could utter a word the boy turned around.

He waved a hand and uttered a "Ja." Then he walked off.

Yuhi was in cloud nine. And she was so sure that she would have a good night's sleep–and dream–later because of everything that had happened. This one goes in her list. She smiled widely, watching the white-haired angel's back from afar and sighing of pure glee. _I can live with this._

A familiar groan woke her from her fantasies. Yuhi turned around, finding an irritated class president.

Sejin crossed her arms and pushed the bridge of her glasses. "Save it for later. Let's go back. Ms. Juno's checking the attendance."

Yuhi suppressed her smile by pressing her lips together. She nodded and followed the orders of her seatmate, and together they walked towards the group near the gates. Yuhi wanted to dance as she stepped. She felt light on her feet.

"By the way, Yuhi."

The addressed turned her gaze towards the raven-haired girl with a smile. "Hm?"

The latter looked at her. Then she shifted her gaze upwards. "What's that on your forehead?"

"Eh?" Yuhi's eyebrows creased. She lifted her hand and reached for it. "Ow…" It was painful.

Sejin observed the girl. She raised her eyebrows. "That's a huge bruise."

Yuhi laughed. Then she paused, and she remembered Killua looking at her forehead earlier.

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_Hey, guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I am truly sorry for updating late. :'( But I hope I made up for it. Teehee. Thank you so much to all of the reviews in the previous chapter! 10 reviews, wow! i am amazed. You all are awesome. Thank you for reading this story of mine. It means a lot. _

_Also, I apologize if I couldn't reply personally to everyone in this chapter. It's already 4am in here and my mother's gonna scold me any minute now so please understand. LOL I am hurrying the typing here. XD But please, even so, continue to review! It keeps me goinggggg. *smiley* I'm sure I'll be able to reply to your reviews in the next one. ^^_

**Next chapter: Now that Yuhi was able to talk to Killua, what would play out between the two of them in the next chapter?**

Reviewwwww, guys! Please review! Thank you so mucchh! :D


	8. Just Another Dreamy Day?

A/N: I truly and honestly apologize for the late update. This is happening quite often now so I have decided to publish my update either on a _Sunday or a Monday_. I was so busy yesterday because of school work and I couldn't work on the chapter so please understand. ^^;; If ever school interfered again and I couldn't update for a whole week, I would let you know through my FF Facebook account, so add me uuuup! Link is in my profile! Haha!

To make up for another day lost, I drew Yuhi and Killua from a scene in Chapter 7, the black out! If you want to see, link is on my profile. Chocolates!

Oh, and btw, btw! Something awesome has happened, one of my precious readers and guest reviewers, Mai, drew Yuhi and Killua, yaaay! *throws confetti all over the place* The scene was from Chapter 2 and it's so cute and awesome so check her art outtt! Link is on my profile! Thank you, Mai, you are amazing :)

I am calling out to all of my readers out there, you can also do arts of Yuhi as how you picture her in your minds and alert me about itttt, It would be soooo amazing of you if you would~~~ Teehee. ^^

_Doki/Ba-dump = sound of a heartbeat  
_  
Disclaimer: I have not tried archery in my entire life.

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER EIGHT  
**Just Another Dreamy Day?**

The rest of the day commenced in continuous downpour of heavy rain. The students waited, and crossed their fingers for the most glorious announcement they would ever have to hear for the day. And after about 30 minutes of waiting inside their rooms, the bell rang. The principal had decided to cancel classes and let the students go home the moment the rain simmered down a little. Apparently there's a storm currently in the country, and it was reported to stay in the land for two days–but the weather should continue to be in a bad state for four. It was the perfect period to stay in bed and not care about a thing in the world but sleep for students.

For our auburn-haired protagonist, that cannot be. As much as she adored sleep, it's in times like these that she gets to devote herself with the ramen house job; because she knew that in rainy times like these people wanted to fill their stomach with hot soups and noodles. Roroturo would have to need her help more than anything else.

Yuhi went home that day, with a hyper body and refreshed mind, and did her work inside the kitchen of the warm ramen shop. She'd smile and hum to herself because of the reminiscent pretty thoughts that swarmed inside her head. But she couldn't help but pause and look over her shoulder to check whether her buff guardian was looking, every time she caught herself giggling, as she mashed the dough with her hands. Then when she'd realize that not a soul gave a damn about her actions–because everyone was busy in their own counters–Yuhi would laugh at herself.

Roroturo saw her huge bruise, though, the moment she got home, and asked what happened and where it came from, rushing to the girl with an overly concerned look on his face. At first Yuhi was puzzled about what her guardian was talking about; for she ignored her forehead, because _other_ things occupied her mind. But touching it she remembered her childish little accident earlier that day, and told the whole story to Roroturo–except for that part where she talked with Killua, no. If she did so she was afraid that she would blush hard, and end up telling the whole truth. So after another serving of Roroturo's extra special ramen, and a good amount of ice to treat her bruise, Yuhi carried on inside the kitchen with a white cloth wrapped around her forehead, and slept with an herbal leaf in it. She dreamed of Killua that night.

The next day the skies cleared up a little, but there were still drizzles all over town. Yuhi woke up smiling, eyes straight to the window to check the sky, and shrugged as she walked straight to the bathroom to get ready for school, humming to herself lovingly as she recalled her dream. She pictured the outcome of the day in her head while dressing up, thought of what her teachers might possibly make them do, and the homework she might have forgotten to look at, and who she would be seeing for the day. Then glancing at the calendar she smiled as she stared at the red marked day on it – running down the stairs as soon as she was done and reminding Roroturo of his nearing birthday.

"It's two days from now!" she exclaimed, grabbing her bag and hanging it around her body.

Roroturo then laughed and patted the girl in the head before she sprinted away with her white umbrella into the rain.

Walking towards the gates of the campus, Yuhi felt great, and light on her feet. In all honestly she wanted to smile widely, but she kept it in normal state for fear of some stranger would think she's a lunatic. She then would remember Killua's words to her; "_You're laughing_," and would giggle inwardly. Yuhi looked around too as she walked, to catch a glimpse of something white–to kick start her day. And when she saw it–saw _him_–walking alongside his raven-haired best friend a few meters ahead of her, her heart started beating fast. And her chest felt lighter, and she was happy. She then instantly knew her day would not get shaken by something as melancholic as the bad weather.

The morning bell then rang just in time for Yuhi to step foot inside their classroom. But after about 15 minutes, Sejin re-entered the room and announced that their old teacher in the first subject would not be able to come to class because of the unfortunate weather. The class then went ballistic, but of course because of the strict care of their moralistic class president, everyone settled down just as fast. Some only talked, some did their homework, and some just hung out at the school canteen. Yuhi delighted herself with the first one. She loved talking to friends about all sorts of things, asking about how her friends' family were doing, and exchanged jokes and teases with them.

The first quarter of the day went on like any other normal day in the lives of the high school students of Tomo. Teachers came and went, reminding the students of the upcoming quarterly exams, reviewed previous lessons, discussed a few new things, read notes, and gave homework. It was a funny sight, because though the teachers kept talking, the students were lost in their own worlds. The coldness of the atmosphere and the melancholic air the rain was giving made the teachers' voices sound like a lullaby that hummed them to sleep.

Yuhi was forcing her eyes to stay awake, though, because she didn't want to go home late in a rainy season by cleaning rooms. And she wanted to listen to the lessons, though it was Mrs. Malu, their History teacher, who was in the room at that time. But eventually she let her head fell to her desk, and she subconsciously found her comfortable position, before completely dozing off.

It was the second school bell ringing that got Yuhi jolting straight up in her seat, eyes wide, gaze shifting from one corner after another. Then she gasped, cupping her cheeks with her hands. _I fell asleep again!_ Yuhi tried to remember _when_ she had drifted off. Then a smile slowly formed across her face as she stared blankly ahead. She bit her lower lip. Her dream was glorious. It was about _him_ again…

_"Higher."_

_I took a deep breath, and obeyed what the boy sitting in the bleachers was telling me to do. I pulled my bow higher, narrowing my eyes at where I aimed the arrow. Surprisingly I seemed focused, and comfortable, even though the only people that were inside the gym are myself and that particular white-haired boy._

_Killua stood up and walked towards me. He hoisted the bow and arrow that lie on the sack by my feet and put the equipment steadily in place, aiming the arrow at the dummy 10 feet away from us. He stood erect by my side, posture as poised and perfect as those professional archers, and hit the bull's eye of the target straight. He exhaled._

_Perfect, I thought as I watched him. I blinked and turned my gaze to say with my eyes that I was amazed. Meeting his blue orbs and small crooked grin I nodded and got back to my previous posture, pulling the bow back up and aiming the arrow at the target._

_Killua moved, and I could feel him stepping closer to me. "Do it like this," he muttered silently, but it was loud enough for me to hear. He stood so close to me I did not have to completely turn to face him, I just had to look up._

_I nodded again, and ignored the crazy chills that ran up my spine when I felt Killua's breath brushing against my earlobe. It reached my neck, giving it a slight tickle. I shrugged and pursed my lips, clearing my throat to erase the upcoming smile I knew I was about to give out._

_Killua gripped my shoulders and flexed them. "Relax," he muttered again, his voice sounding lower than earlier. It sounded as though it was a whisper, and crap I felt my heart pumping blood fast in an instant._

_This is bad. I need to focus._

_Killua's grip grew tighter. "Relax," he repeated with the same tone._

_I took a deep breath, pretending to do my best in relaxing. But no, now I feel tensed. His close presence at my side was giving off too much mushy pressure. It made me want to giggle in delight. I didn't want to do it front of him, no. But Killua wrapping his hand around mine where I hold the bow made it worse. I started palpitating, making me take deep breaths continuously._

_"Stand straight," he whispered._

_I obeyed immediately, feeling his other hand carefully pressing on the right side of my waist. I flinched, and could hear fire alarms inside my head. I started choking on my own breathing. My heart felt like it was about to explode out of my chest. With reflex I looked up at him, instantly meeting his beautiful blue eyes._

_He smiled at me, and there were sparks and fireworks all over the place. I knew then… I was drawn again._

"Yuuuuhina! Why are you smiling by yourself?"

Without getting startled this time, the addressed blinked and looked for the person who mentioned her name with that goofy smile still plastered on her face. He was in front of her–or rather, _they_ were in front of her.

"Hehehe, Yuhi's acting weird again…" one teased, and they all laughed.

Yuhi named them easily. They were the same boys who caught her staring at Killua— class 2-A in the gym at P.E. that day before, and teased her towards Gon about it – Ren, Maru, Jinop, and the group includes Suno. The brown-haired tough looking boy, Jinop, was sort of their leader. But they weren't the rebellious delinquent boys in the room, no. In fact they were Yuhi's friends, her friends who would always tease her in any possible way they could. But in those times she never got upset with them. She would only be embarrassed then she'd laugh it all off.

The black-haired boy one, Ren, nudged Jinop in the arm saying, "Yeah, she's probably thinking about that Gon guy again from 2-A." Then they gave Yuhi wide goofy smiles.

The girl, smile still stuck on her face, pursed her lips together. Then a giggle went out of her system, then another, until she heartily laughed so hard in front of the boys, hugging her stomach and slamming her desk with her palm.

The boys looked at each other's' faces quizzically, then they turned their gazes towards the laughing girl's seatmate, Sejin. Their class president only gave them a shake in the head with that blank expression on the face of hers. Then they slowly retreated, walking out of the room to grab some lunch.

Sejin watched them leave. Then she sighed, looking at Yuhi with a disbelieved look on her face.

The girl stopped laughing. She wiped tears that formed in the corners of her eyes. Yuhi then sighed and shook her head in awe. She just had to let out the mushy feeling building up in her chest. _Phew!_ She smiled to herself, turning to grab her lunch inside her bag. But she paused halfway when she met Sejin's deep green eyes. Yuhi cleared her throat and pressed her lips together, struggling to put up a composed and serious face which she failed to do. So instead she gave Sejin a huge toothy grin. She knew her seatmate knew who's in her mind at that time anyway.

Sejin pushed the bridge of her glasses. "You know you're in trouble, right?" she dispassionately asked.

Yuhi's toothy grin was replaced with a sheepish smile. Yep, she knew that the moment she woke up. She slightly bowed. "Sorry, president." It was an apologetic tone.

The latter shook her head, and turned to her own desk for lunch.

Yuhi sighed and smiled, feeling again that guilt and glee she would feel every time she ends up sleeping in class. _I'll be staying in after school hours again…_ she thought as she took her bag and hoisted her lunch box from it, setting in on her desk.

Lunch was delicious, as usual. Roroturo had put in her favourites in her _bento_ again–rice, shrimp, scallops, carrots. Her guardian would also always cut the pieces using his different animal-shaped cutters, making her smile every time she sees them. While eating she talked to Sejin about the things that happened the day before, and during the black out. But she refrained herself from talking about her glorious encounter with her angel, because her classmates might hear. And Yuhi wouldn't want that. Her equally passionate girl classmates might start a game of 'who fits Killua best' if that happened. So, being as optimistic as she was, she decided to take her afterschool cleaning occupation as an opportunity to tell her patient–sort of–seatmate about everything. But to her dismay and delight, she was not the only one who would be staying after school hours inside the campus. There were quite a few of them. Yuhi laughed at that though, finding it funny that a lot slept in class that period.

It was 20 minutes before the second quarter of school hours would start. Yuhi finished lunch and she was on the process of clearing her desk when a girl classmate called her.

"Yuhi, someone's looking for you!"

Yuhi nodded and shouted back a "Be right there!" as she placed the empty lunch box in her bag. She then stood up and instantly hugged her tummy. _Gah, I'm so fuuull!_ It made her smile. Yuhi shuddered and looked ahead to ask her classmates who was looking for her. But everyone was already looking at her, with those goofy smiles on their faces. Oh, she immediately knew who was seeking for her at that moment, alright. Yuhi hid her excitement and gave off a sheepish smile instead, because then she knew that they would mistake it for something else. Seeing that her classmates were not shunning away, shyness slowly enveloped her system because of the unison attention they were giving her. Yuhi started walking along the spaces between the desks and towards the door fast. When she got out, slightly sliding the door close and sighing of relief, the funny feeling of excitement kicked in. Her new found friend has come to see her again! Immediately she turned around to spot that one person she was expecting to see.

But that certain spiky-haired boy beat her through it. "Yuhi!" Gon exclaimed cheerily as he stepped forward.

A huge smile formed across Yuhi's face in an instant. "Gon!" she exclaimed back with an equally cheery tone, looking at him, and looking around. Nope, Gon was alone. Yuhi smiled at him. "You're looking for me?"

Gon nodded. "Uhn! How's Roroturo-san?"

Yuhi giggled silently. It was nice for her to hear that someone was asking how her guardian was doing–especially Gon. "He's great! We're quite busy because of the rain," she informed.

"Yeah," Gon nodded and pondered as he turned his gaze towards the window of one end of the hallway. "The storm's quite strong, ne?"

Yuhi shrugged and turned her gaze to where Gon was looking as well. "Yes, and the rainy season's over too," she noted, remembering the sleepless nights she'd often endure in the weekends to help Roroturo in the ramen shop that rainy season of the year.

"I was going to ask you about yesterday, Yuhi," Gon suddenly ushered in, cutting her thoughts.

Yuhi immediately turned to face the spiky-haired boy again. Her eyes were wide, trying to recall everything that had happened the day before. She inwardly smiled, and thought that Gon's _best friend_ had already told the boy about it. "Black out," Yuhi reminded him. Then her eyes grew wide when she remembered Killua mentioning something about Gon, and the teachers talking about it that day. "I heard you helped the committee!"

Gon nodded cheerfully. "Yep! About that…" His smile turned into a sheepish one. "Killua mentioned you in the gym yesterday when the lights were out."

Yuhi pursed her lips together, again suppressing a wide grin.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help. It's because I already told Mr. Tenoshiru that I'll help the committee in fixing the generator!" Gon announced, scratching his nape.

"That's okay!" Yuhi exclaimed with assurance. "I didn't ask for help after all, you know." _Yep, it's just Killua who…_ Doki. _Even at the mention of his name…_ Yuhi laughed, and Gon laughed with her. "I also heard that the generator crashed yesterday! The committee really did need people," she commented.

"Yeah, and I was their messenger. It's a good thing we immediately called the authorities from town to help." Gon's tone was enthusiastically grateful, but his voice strangely sounded a little hoarse. "Anyway, I asked Killua if he could help you yesterday. Did you find your classmates?"

_Ba-dump._ Yuhi had an intuition about where the conversation would lead to. And recalling every glorious minute with her angel during the black out, she smiled sheepishly. She didn't know how to tell her angel's best friend things that happened between the two of them. "No… actually. I didn't find them."

"Eh!?" Gon questionably exclaimed. "I aksed Killuaaaa," he defended. "What did you do? Did you have company?"

Yuhi eyebrows creased for a moment when she heard Gon's continuous questions about happened the day before. She then asked, "Didn't he tell you?" _He was supposed to, right? Since he is your best friend._

"Oh! There you are, Gon!"

Yuhina and Gon then both turned their gazes towards class 2-A's room.

The latter immediately faced him entirely. "Killua, you didn't tell me enough about Yuhi!" he demanded.

Doki.

Yuhi started hearing sirens crying inside her head when she spotted that certain snow-haired angel walking towards them. She knew she was completely calm about talking about him, that's for sure. But she had not calculated him to appear in the process. She didn't even brief herself about what she was going to say or how she was going to act in front of Killua after the precious event that happened during the black out.

Killua halted; his eyes directly at his best friend's. "I've been looking around for you—" Then he paused when his gaze shifted towards the girl Gon was talking to.

Yuhi could feel blood boiling in her cheeks when she met Killua pretty blue eyes. She blinked, but Killua continued looking at her. No, she should not look down or look away. Gon might notice something strange. So, Yuhi smiled at the boy, chanting _'Go, Yuhi! Go, Yuhi!'_ inside her head while her chest swelled. She wanted to dance for some reason, or run a kilometre. It must be the giddy nerves.

…Silence.

The pressure was pulling the auburn-haired girl down. And her face was starting to feel incredibly hot. A sheepish smile. "…Why?" she managed to silently ask, hoping that her tone was louder than her nerves would allow.

Killua blinked, and stretched his neck forward to have a closer look at the girl. He narrowed his eyes. Yuhi leaned back a little just in time for Killua to blink his eyes. "It's gone…" he mumbled.

The auburn-haired girl's curiosity defeated her overthinking mind. She blinked as well, figuring out where Killua's eyes were shot at. Then she lifted her hand and stroked her forehead. _My bruise?_

Killua's eyebrows creased as he stood straight again, mumbling a "Weird…" His eyes were not leaving Yuhi's forehead.

It was Gon's foot stomping that broke the strange awkward ice. "Killua, why didn't you tell me about Yuhi!?" the boy demanded again, sounding serious.

The addressed then finally shifted his gaze towards the person who spoke. "I told you already that she's fine! Look!" Killua turned to Yuhi again, gesturing towards her.

Yuhi blinked at first when she again met Killua's blue orbs. Then looking away she turned her gaze towards Gon with a sheepish smile on her face. She shrugged. "I'm fine!"

Gon exhaled and crossed his arms against his chest while eyeing his best friend.

Killua noticed the glare. He shrugged. "What!? I didn't do anything!"

"You didn't tell me she did not find her classmates."

"Wha— Stop that bossy act. She's fine, see?" Killua insisted.

Then both shared looks for seconds for a reason Yuhi couldn't understand. She just stood there and watched the two. Then the bell rang.

Killua sighed.

Gon took a deep breath and faced Yuhi with a smile. "Sorry for the bother, Yuhi. You may be doing something when I called for you."

The girl also gave him a smile. "Nope, none at all."

Gon smiled even more widely and glanced over their classroom. "Well, bell's ringing. See you around!" He gave a wave and nudged his best friend. "Let's go Killua!"

"I was about to tell you that 2 minutes ago," the white-haired boy told him indifferently.

Yuhi beamed at them. "See you!" And watched them leave for the next class. She giggled as she watched Killua throw an arm around Gon's neck, and playfully strangle him with it. She then smiled with awe as she looked down. Stroking her forehead with her fingers, she shrugged in delight.

"Ahem."

Yuhi immediately stood straight and turned around with wide eyes, gaze shifting towards the person's face. A sheepish smile instantly covered her face. Then she sprinted inside the room to her desk. Ms. Irisa was never late.

* * *

The dark clouds that hovered above the whole town have not left for the day. Drizzles of rain covered the view of the wet courts of the campus from the windows of each room. But the bad weather did not hinder the classes from going on. Chemistry went through nicely. The melancholic feel brought by the weather has kept the students of 2-B calm all throughout the times Ms. Irisa would call one of them for recitation–and that included our auburn-haired protagonist. Yuhi, unlike the times before, recited in class confidently when the female teacher asked her to stand up and recite the answer for the atomic weight of the protons and neutrons in the given equation.

When Science was over, it was math time with Mr. Yama.

The class went on as usual; Yama would give them Algebraic exercises to work on while he busy himself with writing more lesson plans for the students, other students would pass papers under their desks, Sejin would give them the look–or glare, some students would scratch their heads while endlessly tapping their textbooks with their pens. But for Yuhi, though, again, she was very good at Math–so as fast as she could she did her seatwork with pure seriousness. Sejin even smiled to herself when she saw her classmate. It was always so entertaining to watch the light-hearted and enthusiastic Yuhi work hard; because Sejin thought she looked funny when her eyebrows were furrowed in an overly serious way.

The moment they were finished, Yama had them check the seatwork right away, earning Yuhi a second to the highest scorer term, next to Sejin who was first. And because of that, Yama instructed the two to 'help' him check the assessment exams of class 2-A and 2-C.

Sejin was dumbfounded, because she did not find that thing awarding enough.

But Yuhi was ecstatic.

"Sejinnnn~" she sang as she and Sejin were walking along the hallway towards the teacher's lounge to get the exam papers from Mr. Yama's desk.

The addressed exhaled roughly as she pushed the bridge of her glasses in. She silently groaned and muttered a silent "Yes."

Yuhi bounced of delight and held her hands tight behind her back as she followed Sejin in the teacher's lounge, her eyes sparkled with excitement as she hoisted the papers of 2-A from the desk and enclosed them in her arms lovingly. The both of them then went up immediately, and just like what she did earlier, Yuhi glanced over the windows of 2-A, shrugging and hugging the papers tightly when she saw her white-haired angel.

"Are you sure you'd be able to do 2-A's papers? I mean, they're 2-A, you know," Sjin suddenly mused.

The auburn-haired girl then turned her gaze to her seatmate, eyes wide. Then she laughed, nudging Sejin with her elbow. "I'm not that stupid in Math, Sejin!"

The latter sighed. "I know that. It's just that… Would you be able to do it properly? That Killua's paper is in there, and I know you well enough, Yuhi, to ask if you _could_ check the rest of the papers impartially."

Yuhi felt like giggling when she heard Sejin mention Killua's name. She shook her head as she smiled. "I won't be biased."

Their class president then slid the door open with her free hand and the auburn-haired girl followed her in. Moments later, before Yama went out, he announced the names of the students that will be staying to clean their room. There were about seven of them; 2 girls and 5 boys–including Yuhi. Yama also reminded Sejin about her responsibility and the latter confirmed with a silent wince under her throat.

The last subject of the day was the most boring one. It was language, and the teacher only told them to write a short one-paragraphed essay using the country's traditional alphabet. It was difficult, sure, but the students finished in no time, but after that, they didn't do anything. The teacher only waited for the time to pass and when it did, and when it was the third bell ringing for the day, before they knew it, school was over, and it was time to go home.

But for those seven students who slept in class earlier in the day–and their class president–no, they had to stay. It was when most of the students in the class left the room that they started with the work. Yuhi immediately went to the shelves and took the broom–her _broom-chan_, as she calls it–and started sweeping the floor, the boys arranged the chairs and fixed the books inside the classroom, that one girl with them started clearing the board with the chalk eraser, and Sejin sat there on a chair by the far end of the last row, reading a book.

"It's so nice to have many people do afterschool work with me!" Yuhi announced as she crouched to sweep dirt from under the teacher's desk. She beamed at her classmates.

They all shared a laugh.

"So, you enjoy doing this?" one boy classmate asked with a smile on his face.

A certain white-haired boy instantly went past the girl's mind. She gave her boy classmate a toothy grin. "Yes!" it was an incredibly honest answer. Though at that day she wouldn't be able to go over 2-A's classroom because Yama instructed them only to do their own room–saying that someone else from 2-A was assigned with the same job.

Silence then commenced right after as they all tried to finish clearing everything up. The students had to hurry; for the heavy rain started pouring all over town again.

Yuhi hummed to herself as she swept the dirt towards the dustpan by the door, thinking of what she would give her Roroturo-san for his upcoming birthday. _A cake? Cupcake? Sugar?_ She giggled. _Roroturo-san sure loves sweets._

"Uhm… Yuhi-chan…"

_Eh?_ Yuhi instantly looked up when she heard someone said – or rather, whispered her name. She blinked when her auburn orbs met pretty black ones. A smile then escaped her lips. "Yes, Mimi-chan?"

The girl gave a small shy smile. Her name is Mitan Ukino–a small fragile-looking pretty girl who's the most shy among the shy people inside the classroom; has straight long black hair that fell to her hips and small pretty black eyes that shined like marbles. Mitan is Yuhi's friend, and the latter always find her super cute and adorable; not only because Mitan was about an inch smaller than her.

Yuhi stood straight and gave a sunny smile. She always liked how Mitan would talk to her, because the girl practically doesn't talk to anyone unless they talk to her first. But Mitan was not an emo chick, no. She's just overly… shy, and her classmate understood that. "What can I do for you?"

Mitan seemed to hesitate. She looked down and fiddled with her fingers.

"You can tell me anything," Yuhi ushered.

Mitan shrugged. "It's kind of an embarrassing favour…" she muttered under her breath.

Yuhi leaned her ear closer so she can hear her classmate clearly. The roar of the heavy rain gave her a hard time listening to Mitan's silent tone. "I'll do any favour you ask me," she informed her thoughtfully, feeling awed of the fact that Mitan actually was asking for a favour for time.

Another deep breath. "You're… G-Gon's friend… right?" she carefully asked, looking straight into Yuhi's eyes.

The latter blinked as she stared with pure amazement and confusion written all over her face. "Yes," she replied cheerily.

Mitan gave another shy smile. "Can you… help me?"

Yuhi nodded slowly. "On…?"

Mitan looked around before looking down again, as though she didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. "It's kind of embarrassing but… I have this… uh… l-letter." The black-haired girl blinked and smiled as she returned her gaze towards the auburn-haired girl in front of her.

Yuhi blinked, and slowly she started getting excited–especially when she saw that pinkish glow in her classmate's cheeks. A huge smile then spread across Yuhi's face. _Ah, the letter is for…_ She only needed to here that certain word from her shy classmate and her assumptions will be confirmed.

Mitan carried on. "C-Can you give it to—"

_There!_ Yuhi cut Mitan short. She almost jumped of excitement. "Gon? Sure!"

Mitan's eyebrows furrowed, then continuing her halted sentence she ended it with a silent tone. "Killua…"

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_So, minna, how's the chapter? I hope you like it though it's shorter than the previous ones. Hehe. I am really sorry about not updating as scheduled, and if you have waited for this all day yesterday, I thank you all for your patience. :)_

Replies to guest reviews~~

2102032: Yay, thank you! I'm glad you liked the conversation because I thought hard about the flow of that. :D Hope you also liked this one though!  
Guest: Hello! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Here's the new chapter and i hope you could review in here as well :)  
Mai: Hello! Haha, thank you very much! Writing is my breather and my leisure time. Thank you also for the time! And thank you again for the awesome art! ^^

**Next chapter: What kind of letter does Mitan wanted Yuhi to give to Killua? How would Yuhi react to it? And why would the rain just not stop? **

Reviews are extremely beyond anything in compare appreciated by this authoress. Please review? Even if it's as short? Hihi. Thank you so much again! Jaaaa~~


	9. Oh, The Ultimate Cliché!

A/N: Can you feel Christmas!? It's the 'ber' months already, yay! I love the 'ber' months so much. LOL I would say I am not late in updating but I feel like I am. Pardon. GonxKillua feels interfered my KilluaxYuhi feels. Hshshs~ I am not kidding. And I got sick for 4 days so I couldn't concentrate. ^^; But anyway, here is the chapterrrr! I cannot believe we've reached chapter 9 already. Thank you all for keeping up!

By the way, Mai drew Yuhi again! Thank you so much, sweetie, you are awesome! I will post the link in my profile laters.

Here's a little trivia: this story was supposed to be a comic fic, a satirical one, illustrating every possible cliche found in romance stories. But I decided to make it a little serious because I have an on-going crack-fic already.

_Doki/Ba-dump = sound of a heartbeat_

Disclaimer: This is a FAN fiction.

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER NINE  
**Oh, The Ultimate Cliché!**

The sound of metal spoons clashing against porcelain bowls, beer bottles clanking, men talking and laughing aloud from different corners of the room, and the smell of hot ramen soup filled the interior of Roroturo's ramen shop. It was then already half past eight o'clock in the evening but the shop's still jam-packed with people who stayed in to somehow warm the cold night. The shop's staffs were busy–Roroturo, though he was the busiest, was enjoying himself while talking about random stuff with his friends and introducing himself and his old stories to new people, and the waiters were happily walking to and fro tables and the counter around-the-clock. There was a merry and carefree atmosphere inside the warm ramen shop despite the cold and harsh weather outside.

However, there's this normally cheery person who seemed not to act… normal that night.

Inside the kitchen, where the sound of heavy dough being mashed, running water, and clashing metal could be distinctly heard, was a certain auburn-haired 14-year old girl who seemed to be uncharacteristically quiet.

Yuhi stood there by the sink, facing the unwashed dishes–her eyes fixed blankly at nothing, eyebrows creased incredibly, hands soaping and wiping the bowls and chopsticks blandly, with her dull, lifeless arms. She moved like a robot drained off energy–grabbing used chinas and silver utensils from her left, sponging and rinsing them with running water from the faucet in front of her, and placing the objects together with the other clean ones to the right side of the panel counter. Her big auburn-eyes were wide, lids blinking immensely. Yuhi subconsciously took a deep breath and pressed her lips together. She was thinking–of why she suddenly had this unexplained… thing roaming around inside her chest when she heard what her shy and sweet friend had to say…

_XxxflashbackxxX_

"…Yuhi-chan?"

The addressed blinked, realizing that the focus in her vision had disappeared for a split second. She didn't know. Something just instantly came in without warning. Something cut her vision, like a fast approaching bullet shot across the room, or an arrow released from the string of its bow, or a race car high-speeding in the highway a gazillion kilometres per hour; something… just something that felt as though had slashed her ribcage open, and stabbed her chest hard for some unknown reason. Yuhi couldn't understand it. She stood straight and narrowed her eyes at the tiny black-haired girl in front of her, who looked at her with a mix of confusion and concern covering her tiny face, trying to focus her gaze. Her mind was telling her to smile and say it's nothing like she always do, but surprisingly–for her–at that moment, she couldn't seem to do it. "Uh…"

Mitan looked down at her leather shoes, fiddling with her shaky fingers. "I-It's okay if you don't want to do it…" she trailed off with a slight crack of tone at the end of her sentence, sounding incredibly ashamed of what she had confessed.

That time the auburn-haired girl got back to the left conversation. And as though she was holding her breath, she exhaled a good amount of carbon dioxide, swallowing liquid. Her arms became strangely weak as she stretched them to reach out for Mitan's request–her face smiling. Yuhi took a deep breath. "I'll do it."

Looking up, the former let out a hopeful smile on her face. "Really?"

Seeing this, Yuhi gained enough strength to return to her lost balance. Her smile was pure. "Yes!" But although she knew she agreed wholeheartedly, she felt her chest being stabbed hard again after speaking her word. She paused at that, looking away to question herself. _What's happening…?_

However the tiny black-haired girl never saw that, for she was taking out the said envelope from her skirt pocket. She handed it happily with both hands.

At that time Yuhi had already shaken her head off the thoughts of such strange things. She took the letter in her hands, and stared at it for seconds. The plain white color of the envelope did not show much passion or admiration… or attention, but that small red embossed sticker shaped as a heart at very center of the square paper-case said it all. _Yep, no doubt; a love letter._ She nodded slowly–both to herself and to Mitan. She felt happy for her friend, sure, and found her so courageous and brave and strong, but a very tiny part of her was not in normal condition–and that was the throbbing organ in her chest.

However she wanted to ignore it, especially when by looking at her black-haired friend she saw that innocent, hopeful look in her little blushing face. Yuhi smiled at that, and decided it was time to drop the thoughts and everything in between. Grinning teasingly, she poked the girl's ribs with her left index finger. "A love letter for him?" she silently asked, careful not to let anyone hear their conversation. But… _Ba-dump._ There it was again.

Mitan almost turned around to hide her embarrassment. "…P-Please don't tell anyone!" She bowed low. It was a desperate request.

But Yuhi found that incredibly adorable. She giggled. "Of course!" Leaning a little closer she whipered "It'll be our secret." Then she laughed. "Oh yeah, and Gon's, and Killua's too!" Halt. _Doki._ Yuhi smiled to herself, even giggled to herself when she realized what she had said. _Ba-dump._ But that pang came back again, reminding her that she was not the only person who might share the same sentiments towards that certain white-haired boy. Slightly tensed, she returned her attention to the black-haired girl. To her relief, and awe, she was laughing, though silently, but heartily. Yuhi smiled. Until it grew wider.

Mitan returned it. It was the first time Yuhi had seen that look in the girl's face. "Thank you, Yuhi!" She leapt forward, throwing her feeble arms around the auburn-haired girl's neck for an embrace.

A bit surprised at first, Yuhi instantly let go of the broom she was holding to excitingly return the hug with an animated happy look on her face, jumping a little. _Gyaaa!_ Yuhi loved hugs–so much–but hearing what Mitan had to say next, she felt that tiny slash in the chest yet again.

"It means a lot."

Shocked, Yuhi was so shocked about the reactions her chest was giving. But luckily, Sejin's voice saved her sanity. Yuhi blinked when she heard the president call the both of them from inside the room, reminding them to finish the tasks they were assigned to do. Again exhaling a good amount of air, Yuhi pulled away from the embrace and gave a reassuring grin to Mitan, who returned the gesture with a small smile and a single nod. Both then returned inside the room, with Yuhi immediately placing Mitan's letter inside her skirt's pocket and apologizing to Sejin with a sheepish smile, and Mitan apologetically bowing to the president.

The moment everything was done, the latter went to mutter a silent "Thank you again, Yuhi-chan. I owe you one" before saying her goodbyes to her classmates and going off first. The three other boys, too, went ahead a few minutes after Mitan left, leaving Sejin and Yuhi walking out of the campus gates together. The latter managed to restrain herself from blurting out that particular topic to her seatmate all the while they were fixing their things, though, and resulted to talking about other general things–like the weather, and school–everything, but not about Killua. No, Yuhi could not seem to think about the white-haired boy without feeling that unidentified pang in her chest. The feeling was alienated, and she did not want to show Sejin what that could be, though her seatmate, from time to time, was giving her looks of confusion and disbelief when she was changing the topic.

Yuhi was gleeful althroughout. But when they started to walk through the corridors, she remembered Mitan's request. And seeing the 2-A room within sight, walking past it, Yuhi turned her gaze towards the windows of the room, noticing a lot of people–boys, specifically–inside. She did not want to do it, but she could not help it. Yuhi searched. And there, together with the group of laughing boys sitting on top of the desks, she saw her angel, and she could not keep her eyes off him all the while thinking of Mitan's innocent smile. At that time, she did not smile, nor giggled. She just… stared, with a straight look on her face–until Killua noticed. Yuhi immediately looked away then with a racing heart, running towards the staircase to catch up with her friend.

While heading home, Yuhi was beyond thoughtful. She was trying to figure out what she had been feeling, thinking about it, and thinking about it even more, until she got home.

_Xxxfashback-endxxX_

Yuhi continued to stare blankly ahead–this time, intently, with her eyebrows creased even more–unaware that she stopped moving her hands from washing while she again remembered that strange, strange… _ba-dump_ in her chest. She couldn't undertand it. Yuhi wasn't naïve, no. She knew about romance and things, but she couldn't believe herself to be something she was forcing her mind not to accept. _It's only a crush. A crush, Yuhi, attraction._ No, Yuhi did not wish for something more–though she hoped, she knew it would be in vain, that he was only some shining star meant to be looked at. _So why? I feel unfair to Mitan. I should be happy for her._ And she truly wanted to. But she needed also to figure out what she was feeling to get rid of it. _Am I…_ Yuhi slowly lifted her head up and stared with surprised eyes at the wall in front of her. _Am I… affected…?_

"Hey, Yuhi."

The girl gasped and dropped the bowl she was holding in hands. It clashed against the pile on the sink.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" A man from behind asked, walking towards her.

Yuhi blinked and shook her head. She turned around and gave a sheepish smile to the man. It was Roroturo. "Ah—" She stroked the end strand of her hair but realized that her glove was covered with dishwashing soap. Putting it down, she tried to grin. "Y-Yes. Why?" But inside she was screaming. _What's happening to you, Yuhi!?_

Roroturo paused 5 feet away from the girl. His eyebrows were confusedly creased. "Is something bothering you, child? You're acting quite strange. Did something happen at school?"

_Ack._ Yuhi slapped her face inwardly, knowing that Roroturo could perfectly read her even by just looking. But she managed to hide it, though not impeccably. She laughed, and shook her head. "Nope, I'm perfectly fine, Roroturo-san. Does it… look like something is bothering me?" It was a question of personal inquiry. She wanted to hear it from a different person to somehow reprimand her emotions.

Roroturo crossed his arms against his chest, tapping one finger against his chin and breathing in deeply. "Well, you sure are quiet today. Teachers gave you tough task again?"

Yuhi nodded slowly to herself. _Note one: don't stay quiet for too long._ She looked at Roroturo, and seeing his seriously concerned gray eyes she looked down. "…Yeah." A silent reply. Yuhi wanted to bang her head against the wall at that time, for not telling Roroturo what's up with her.

A pause.

The man exhaled roughly. "Alright, since it's already quarter to nine, why don't you go upstairs after cleaning up here? I'm sure Rita's on her way. She can replace you for tonight."

Looking immediately back up, Yuhi eyes grew wide. "Eh? But I—"

"School comes first, Yuhi," Roroturo ordered softly, placing a hand on the girl's head. "Right?"

Yuhi smiled. It was pure. She nodded cheerily.

Roroturo chuckled, stepping backwards. "If you ever have problems, talk to me about it, okay, Yuhi? Because if you keep lying about it and hiding it, it'll never be solved. Remember that."

A deep breath was necessary. Yuhi nodded again. "I will, I promise."

The buff man smiled and left Yuhi for his counter.

The latter watched him walk away–thinking. Another sigh. _I will, Roroturo-san. But not this one. I don't even know if this is a problem worth solving…_ Yuhi turned back around to face the sink, planting her palms against the edge of the sink. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. _Relax, Yuhi. You are overreacting. This is not right._ Suddenly Killua's face came in gloriously in her head. Then the train of sweet events between the two of them went past her thoughts. She would have smiled, but she didn't; because her heart gave that strange thump again when Mitan's adorably innocent smile went past with it. Yuhi opened her eyes and looked up, releasing a whining sound from her throat. "Noooo. Why? What's happening to me?" she whispered at the ceiling with a frustrated groan.

Yuhi let her gaze fall back to the dishes, sighing as she shook her head. Then from the corner of her eye, she saw one of Roroturo's helpers in the kitchen facing her with a questioning look on her face. Yuhi instantly smiled, her pulses doubling with tension. "Y-You saw that, Edolin-san?" An embarrassed tone.

The lady only nodded, her puzzled face was stagnant.

Yuhi wanted to cry, but instead she laughed, waving her hands. "I'm sorry! I was talking to myself!" she tried to defend her pride.

Edolin blinked and gave a small smile and bow before returning to mashing dough.

The auburn-haired girl sighed of relief, smiling to herself. _I should be more careful with my actions, ne._ Yuhi returned to finishing her task–_fast_–so she can reflect by herself in her room, and do what Mr. Yama sent for them to check.

* * *

It's not as if Yuhi did not truly know the real reason behind the unidentified feeling that was disturbing her. She knew; she just couldn't put a finger on it. She knew; she just did not know how to deal with it. She knew; she just did not know _why_ she had to deal with it. A sigh escaped the girl's lungs for the nth time as she sat on a chair in front of her desk, in her room, holding a piece of exam paper in her left hand and staring at it. She just stared at it, at the name printed there with a lousy, boy's handwriting, while trying to contemplate her emotions.

Even in that kind of situation, with _his_ exam paper in her hands; she should be smiling and giggling and shrugging in delight. But no, her emotions were in a dull mix in her chest. She would smile a little, only because of the many unanswered problem-solving questions and careless doodles of Yama on the paper, finding them so cute. However, that was it. She could not seem to get the good mood to kick in her system as well. Her happy cells had disappeared. Yuhi felt dull, bland, and dimly mellow.

Was it because she already loves him dearly?

Yuhi's pen halted from marking a checked-line on the paper she was holding. She paused, and stared with wide eyes at a spot on her desk. _What…?_ Yuhi blinked and shook her head. _Oh no._ She breathed in deeply. Yuhi did not know. Should she be happy about it? If so, would it be fair to her black-haired friend? _Mitan!_ Yuhi cried in her head as she dropped the things in her hands and let her head drop to her desk, ruffling her hair in frustration. She tried closing her eyes but only to open them again, because Killua's face would instantly show up the moment she did so.

_This is bad. _And good at the same time. She just did not want to tolerate it, if ever it was true, because she knew that love is a whole lot different from a crush–minus the spelling, of course. When Yuhi mentions that she is in love, that is exaggerated. She was doing her best not to result to that, though. _W-Well, I wanted to, but…!_ But she considered it before, however _before_ she confirmed that is was only a crush–not until Mitan's request came in, perhaps.

Turning her gaze to her bed, where her school things were scattered therein, she spotted that particular white envelope with a heart-shapred sticker in the middle. Again, she stared at it–thinking. It was for Mitan, and she needed to do it wholeheartedly. For her friend, she should decide to ignore the things in her head at that time. She should arrive to a quick conclusion to close the vault where the unidentified feelings were, whatever they were.

Maybe it was shock, or that she overreacted, because Mitan was a silent tiny girl in the very first place. Maybe it wasn't because of Killua. Maybe it was because of the dim weather. Yuhi then turned her gaze towards her window, where lightning instantly crawled across the dark sky, and thunder roaring with it. She took a deep breath, and nodded to herself, thinking that the uncharacteristic feeling would be gone by morning. _I should go to Gon first thing tomorrow, and hand him Mitan's letter._

* * *

The next day, the auburn-haired girl came to class with Mitan's letter readily placed in the pocket of her skirt, reminding the latter that she did not forget about the request and telling her that she would hand it to Gon that day to give to Killua. Seeing again that small pure smile from the black-haired girl, Yuhi's sanity somehow appeased; but again it did not erase what she was still feeling in her chest. Yuhi was so confident that everything would come back to normal the moment she woke up. But no, it remained. She would groan inwardly at that and sigh, but recovers as soon–returning to her usual sunny and cheery countenance.

"Good morning, Sejin!" Yuhi greeted with a smile as she sat herself in her place, shaking off her jacket hanging it on the back support of her chair.

"Morning," the addressed greeted back, glancing at her seatmate and returning to turning pages of the book she was reading.

Yuhi grinned at her. Then she looked out the window. "Weather's quite nice today, ne?" she noted, returning her gaze back to her seatmate.

Sejin nodded. "Yes. Typhoon's 421 kilometers off the country's coast, for your information."

Yuhi's eyes grew wide, her mouth forming a small 'o' "Amazing! How did you know that exact number?"

Pushing the bridge of her glasses in, Sejin turned her gaze to her seatmate. "I watch news."

Yuhi felt sweat sropping from her forehead. She laughed sheepishly. "Yeah."

Sejin shook her head in disbelief and returned to her book.

Yuhi took a deep breath and shrugged, stretching her legs and and crossing them under the table. She turned her gaze to the sky. The sun was there, behind the rainy clouds. She smiled at that. It's been a while since she saw the sun because of the typhoon.

"Yuhi, that reminds me."

The addressed returned her gaze back to her seatmate. "Yes?"

Sejin closed her book and looked at the auburn-haired girl's sunny face. "Did you finish the exam papers?"

Yuhi instantly gasped. She cupped her cheeks as she sat straight. "I forgot to bring them! Did Mr. Yama mention a deadline?"

The raven-haired scholar cleared her throat. "Not really. He said he expects them soon so I assume that is today."

Another gasp. "Really? Why didn't he just say so?"

Sejin sighed and shook her head. "Teachers."

Yuhi's eyes were wide as she turned ahead. "I'm screwed," she muttered. She was looking at the pile of test papers on her desk earlier that morning, so that she would not forget to bring them. But because of the pressure the time gave, she overlooked her things. She was running late.

Sejin shrugged as she hoisted her notebook and Economics book from her bag, spreading the latter object to a specific chapter. "We never know. Maybe he doesn't really mean he needs them today."

Yuhi beamed at that. Sejin's words were surely reassuring, because she was the class president. At least that would back her up for the day–if ever Yama would ask for the papers. The auburn-haired girl turned her gaze to her seatmate and leaned closer to look at the page of the book Sejin was reading. After a few seconds, their Economics teacher came in.

After the first subject, Yuhi immediately went out of the room to go to 2-A's. It was the morning session's 30-minute break, and she knew her class and Gon's class had the same breaktime. She glanced at 2-A's window from the hallway to check if they were still having class. Seeing a teacher in front, Yuhi decided to wait by the far end of the corridors. She pursed her lips as she leaned her back against the windowpane planted on the wall, remembering the glorious event between her and her white-haired angel and picturing him sitting on the window seat beside her. She giggled, but it made her sigh right after that.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Malu stepped out of the room. Yuhi started walking back to that direction, greeting the teacher a good morning as she walked past her. Her steps were slow when she was halfway there. Then upon reaching, she peeked through the open door, spotting a certain spiky-haired boy and avoiding a white-haired one. Yuhi laughed at herself. _That's impossible. They're always together._ There she saw Gon, talking to Killua. She sheepishly smiled. _Heh. I knew it._ Spotting another 2-A student she knew, she called out to her.

"Hey, Nuni!" It was a silent call. Good thing her friend was sitting close to the door.

A girl with short blonde hair turned around to look at who called her from outside. Her face instantly showed a beaming expression when she saw who it was. "Yuhi!" Nuni stood up and excitingly went to the auburn-haired girl by the door. "What's up?"

Yuhi pressed her index finger against her lips, signalling Nuni not to shout her name so loudly. "Can you call Gon for me? I need to talk to him."

The blonde girl grinned and shrugged. "Okay." She turned around, only to find a smiling Gon already walking towards her direction. "Oh! No nee."

"Huh?" Yuhi inquired. But her question was answered by the spiky-haired boy greeting her as he stepped outside of the room.

"I heard Nuni calling your name!" Gon enthusiastically exclaimed with that usual bright smile on his face.

Yuhi returned the smile and waved at him.

"I'm gonna go back now," Nuni announced, smiling at Yuhi and giving a faint jab in the arm to Gon.

Yuhi nodded. "Thanks, Nuni." Then she looked at Gon. "Hey!"

Gon laughed heartily. "Hey!"

"Are you busy later at lunch?"

"Hmm…" Gon looked up, thinking about it. Then she shook his head. "Not really. Why?"

Yuhi nodded once. She smiled. "I kinda need to talk to you about something."

"Really? About what?"

"About… something important." Yuhi shook her head and waved her hands. "No. I mean, yeah, something important. It's really important, and I need to talk to you about it in a quiet place. Can we meet at the rooftop later? Lunch?" She gave Gon a wide hopeful smile.

And the boy instantly agreed. "Sure! No problem!"

Yuhi beamed. "Great! See you later then!" She walked off fast to their room then, waving a hand at Gon.

Sitting on her chair, she sighed of relief. She felt a little bad about leaving Gon in a rush. But when she saw that certain white-haired boy approaching, she just had to end the conversation immediately. Yuhi did not want to avoid Killua. She just didn't want to look at him and end up falling even more, oh no. And she knew she couldn't just kidnap Gon in that period for Mitan's letter so she decided to ask him to meet her at a very isolated place of the campus. Yuhi smiled to herself as she looked out the window. Everything was going according to plan.

The auburn-haired girl only waited for lunchtime that morning, so she could finally complete her task for the day. Classes went by normally, with the teachers endlessly reminding them to study for the quarterly exams that should happen the week after that.

When the bell rang, it was finally time.

Yuhi ate her lunch as fast as she could, earning her a short lecture from Sejin about choking and death. When she was done, she immediately and carelessly placed her lunchbox in her bag and swallowed liquid from her water bottle before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She then fixed her things in her desk and turned to Sejin saying, "I'll be back in a bit." Walking towards the door, Yuhi paused when she reached Mitan's desk and called her attention. When the girl looked at her, Yuhi winked. Mitan immediately knew what that meant and silently muttered a 'thank you' while she head out.

It was a mission. That was how Yuhi perceived it to be. She thought of it as a mission, and nothing else; a mission from her boss she would have to do because it's her job. Yuhi tried to avoid things in her mind while running up the stairs to the rooftop. She did not want to overthink things right there and then. It was for Mitan, to Killua. Yuhi's feelings should be out of it. End of story. She wanted to advertise her friend to Gon, to tell good things about her, to impress him, so he could say the same things to Killua. Who knows, they might turn up in the end. Right? Yuhi smiled at that. _Ba-dump._ Then she sighed and just shook her head, grinning as she was nearing the door to the rooftop.

When she reached the clearing, she immediately looked up to check the sky. She didn't want Mitan's letter to get all wet and ugly. Luckily for her, the sun was slightly peeking through the clouds. Yuhi beamed and looked around. No Gon anywhere. She inwardly laughed. _I was too early._ Yuhi stepped forward to have a seat on a bench-like structure therein, but she paused when she heard of people talking.

"…that there is an educational trip next month!"

Yuhi eyebrows creased as she walked silently to try to follow the familiar voice. It came from behind the wall where the door and staircase were in. She continued to walk silently towards that direction. Peeking, she saw raven-hair. Her face instantly lightened up for she knew who it was. Yuhi was about to run towards the boy when she paused–froze–again in her tracks.

"We should definitely go, ne, Killua!"

_Heh—_ Dokidokidokidokidoki.

"Yeah, that should be fun!"

Yuhi _seriously _did not know what to do with her self at that time–run or stay? Run or stay? Run or stay? Run— Yuhi attempted to step her left foot backward, but her system was so numb it only slided, producing sound. She immediately cupped her mouth, as if it was what made noise, and looked up–only to find Gon turning around with that painfully adorable smile on his face.

"Yuhi!"

The girl sighed to herself and gave a wide smile to Gon as she tried standing up properly. She absent-mindedly fixed her uniform and cleared her throat as the boy ran to her.

"Hi!"

Yuhi just continued to smile–both at Gon and at her careless stupidity. _Yeah, I didn't say he should go alone._

"So, what do you need to talk to me about?" Gon asked innocently, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. "I brought Killua with me today. Is it okay?"

Though the girl said she would ignore Killua, and what she was feeling towards him, she was giggling hysterically inside, smiling and biting her lower lip to avoid a wide one as she nodded. It was not in the plan, but who cares? The letter was for _him_ in the first place. Yuhi's heart started beating fast as she thought of what she was going to do next. She turned her gaze towards her white-haired angel for a greeting. But to her heart's surprise, she couldn't utter a single word. Yuhi stared at Killua as he stood a few short meters behind Gon, looking at the horizon, with his fluffly white hair and clothes blown to the east by the wind, with the dramatic effect of the gray sky in the background, and with the perfect light given off by the sun's rays. The girl knew what would happen to her had she seen Killua that day, but what she did not know was _how_ it would happen to her. Yuhi was breathless. _He's… perfect. An angel…_

"Yuhi?" The tenor in Gon's voice jumped an octave higher.

Killua turned his gaze towards them–towards _her_.

Yuhi inwardly gasped and blinked as she looked to and fro the two boys. She managed a small smile. "A-Ah— I was looking at the… sky!" She looked at Gon, then at Killua, instantly flashing him a sunny smile. "H-Hi!" Her heart was racing.

Killua looked away, but Yuhi heard him when he muttered, "…Hallway girl," under his breath.

It made the girl purse her lips to suppress a wide smile.

"Killua, why won't you greet Yuhi properly?" Gon complained, turning to his best friend.

Yuhi eyes grew wide with that. She waved her hands in front of the boy's face. "No, it's okay!" _Move on with your mission, Yuhi!_ "I… need to give you something!"

Looking suddenly excitingly curious, Gon turned to the auburn-haired girl. Killua also looked at her and waited. "Is that your 'something important'?"

Yuhi nodded cheerily. "It's…" Feeling the letter inside her skirt's pocket, she nodded firmly. "It's really important!"

This time Killua walked next to Gon and threw an arm around his shoulder. "If it's really important why don't you give it already?" he asked indifferently.

Gon elbowed him in the ribs.

_Ba-dump._ Yuhi took a deep breath. _Say it, Yuhi._ She looked at the white-haired boy for a split second. His blue eyes stood the most distinct and beautiful color in her view. "It's for y-you, actually." _Oh no, I stuttered!_ It must be the nerves.

Killua's eyes grew wide with surprise. He turned to look at Gon who was just as surprised as he was. He pointed dumbfoundedly to himself as his gaze returned to the auburn-haired girl. "For… _me?_"

Yuhi pressed her lips together and nodded, hoisting the letter from her skirt's pocket. Her heart was beating in a strange kind of way with the suspense. _This is it, Mitan, I am going to give it to him right now._ Yuhi pulled the letter out completely and handed it to Killua with both hands. The heart-shaped sticker shined when natural light touched it. She waited for Killua, or maybe Gon, to reach for the letter.

The former only stared at it with a twisted expression on his face.

However the latter slowly beamed. "Killua, it's a _letter!_"

Yuhi nodded cheerily at Gon.

The latter chuckled heartily. "Look, there's a heart in the middle! It's a _love_ letter! You've been receiving a _lot_ of love letters lately, ne!"

Killua turned his disbelieved face towards his best friend. "I can see that." He sighed and returned to Yuhi. He looked in her eyes. "…You're giving _that_ to _me?_"

The auburn-haired girl's chest swelled in a very, very good way. She nodded and exclaimed enthusiastically. "Yep!"

Killua's eyebrows creased in confusion. "Seriously?" He frustratingly whispered.

There Yuhi thought of a little revelation. What if Killua won't take it? What would happen to Mitan? _She would be so lonely!_ It frightened her. She stretched her arms out even more. "Please take it!" she declared, bowing.

Gon beamed even more. "Yuhi! I didn't know you like Killua!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, sounding so amused.

At that time Yuhi felt the earth crashing onto her. She froze; breathing hard, heart beating fast, racing, galloping. _How…?_ She turned her wide eyes towards Gon and a silent "…Eh?" was all the sound she could utter.

But Gon did not notice that. He remained smiling. "You're giving him a love letter!" He turned to look at his best friend. "Killua, take it! Take it! Take it! Take it!" he exclaimed, jumping excitingly.

Yuhi did not know if she would laugh or cry at that time. When she looked at the white-haired boy, she had to look away immediately after meeting his blue orbs–blushing immensely. She then immediately shook her head. "N-No, this is not from me!" _I wish it was—_ Yuhi inwardly gasp when she heard her mind saying that. But she instantly retracted.

Gon paused. His smile disappeared as he tilted his head to the side. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"It's from my friend. She's really nice!" Yuhi said this with a bright smile on her face.

For some reason Killua started snickering, then he started laughing, laughing hysterically.

The girl looked at him, puzzled.

"Hey, Killua! What's so funny?"

The addressed shook his head, and clearing his throat he looked at Yuhi with a small grin on his face. "You really got me there, ramen girl." He retrieved his arm from Gon's shoulders and placed his hands inside his pants' pockets. "But if it's really from your friend, she should be the one giving that, not you." Killua then glanced at his best friend and walked past Yuhi to head for the door.

Gon frowned. "Killua, where are you going?"

The white-haired boy waved a hand as he twisted the doorknob. "Back." Then he disappeared.

The spiky-haired boy sighed as he returned to the stunned girl in front of him. His eyes grew wide when he saw the frown in Yuhi's face, planting his palms on the girl's shoulders in an instant. "Don't be sad, Yuhi. I'll give your friend's letter to Killua!"

The girl locked gazes with her ecstatic friend and seeing his bright sunny smile, she gave her own with a cheery nod. "Thank you, Gon!" She handed him the envelope and Gon took it. "I hope he reads this. Mitan really likes him, you see."

"Mitan? Is that her name? She has a pretty name!"

Yuhi beamed at that, instantly erasing the uncharacteristic feeling brought by Killua's behaviour.

Gon nodded firmly once, raising his fist in the air. "Don't worry. I'll make him read it no matter what happens!"

The girl wanted to hug to spiky-haired boy. Instead, she clasped her hands lovingly together and placed them against her chest. "Thank you, Gon. It means a lot!"

Gon grinned. "No problem! But I really thought it was from you. It would be cool if that happened!"

Yuhi smiled–too widely. Yes, the comment made her happy, thinking that she's been blessed by the best friend, knowing that Gon somehow approved of her as Killua's… _What!_ Yuhi slapped her face in her head. _You should be talking about Mitan, Yuhi. _She laughed. "Do you want to get to know Mitan? She's really great!"

Gon chuckled and nodded. "Okay!"

Lunchtime went on with Yuhi and Gon talking about Mitan's and Killua's personalities and how they would match up. Yuhi exposed Mitan's light and made her shine in Gon's eyes. And to her delight, Gon seemed to be enjoying his time listening to what Mitan is and how she looked like. The girl talked wholeheartedly and enthusiastically, nonstop until they reached the second year's hallway for the afternoon session of school.

"Thank you again, Gon." Yuhi mused as they were walking towards room 2-B. She then looked down and fiddled with her fingers. "I hope K… Killua isn't upset about me…" Her voice trailed off; chest swelling. She said his name again–_in front of his best friend._

The boy shook his head. They paused in front of Yuhi's homeroom door. "He's not upset. He's just like that." He laughed. "Even I get that impression sometimes but he ends up talking to me like usual right after."

Yuhi looked at the boy and laughed with him. "Well, we should get back to class." Yuhi mused then she noticed a person behind Gon, walking towards their direction. She beamed. "Sejin!"

Gon turned around.

Sejin only looked at Yuhi then at Gon as she neared them.

The boy smiled at her when she reached them. "Hi, Sejin! I'm Gon!"

The raven-haired girl nodded and bowed her head a little. "Hello," she greeted indifferently. Then she looked at Yuhi. "Excuse me, please, this thing's heavy and I need to—"

"I'll help you with that!" Gon offered, grabbing the huge black briefcase from Sejin's hands.

But the girl won't let go of it. She looked at Yuhi who only shrugged then at Gon. "I can't afford to trust people in handling this."

Yuhi peeked from over Sejin's shoulder to look at the briefcase. "What's inside?"

"Glassware. It's for Science."

Gon enthusiastically stood straight at that. "Ms. Irisa had me carrying this too yesterday! And it's heavy!" He grabbed Sejin's hand and gently pulled it off from gripping the briefcase's handle, taking the square bag. He smiled. "Where to?"

Sejin stared at the boy with confusion written all over her face. She retrieved her hand and held them together. "The table," she silently answered.

Gon nodded, and gestured for them to go in. "Ladies first."

Yuhi chuckled and gave Sejin a slight push from the back. She caught Mitan's gaze and instantly nodded, giving her a playful grin. Mitan smiled.

Gon followed inside; greeting the people he caught looking and placing the fragile briefcase on top of the teacher's table when he reached it. He turned to Sejin. "There you go, Ms. President!"

Sejin's eyebrows creased even more. "How did you know I am president?"

"Teachers talk about you a lot!"

The raven-haired girl exhaled roughly and pushed the bridge of her glasses, nodding. "Alright. Thank you for your help."

Gon gave a bright smile again. His eyes sparkled as it met the light from the windows. "You're welcome!"

Sejin then immediately turned around and walked to her desk.

Yuhi giggled as she ushered Gon to the door.

"Can I know where Mitan is?" The latter asked fast.

The auburn-haired girl nodded. _Oh! He should totally see how cute she is!_ "She's the small girl with long black hair there at the left end of the third row," Yuhi whispered.

Gon looked. And luckily Mitan was looking back. She had a puzzled expression on her face. But Gon's optimistic greeting made her smile. He waved at her before turning back to Yuhi. "She looks pretty cute!" he said as they reached he door.

Yuhi giggled again. "Yes, she's adorable!"

"I'll definitely give her letter to Killua. She looks like a nice person!" Gon exclaimed and Yuhi nodded. He then waved a hand. "I'll go back now. See you, Yuhi!" Then he ran to their room.

Yuhi sighed in awe as she returned to her seat. Looking out the window, she could not help but smile. She felt great. _Mission accomplished._ But as she recalled that moment with her white-haired angel at the rooftop, she felt that slight pang in the chest again. However immediately she shook it off, feeling so honestly happy for her friend. Yuhi leaned her back on her chair. _It wasn't so bad after all._

A few seconds later Sejin cleared her throat. "Yuhi, is something bothering you?"

The addressed turned to face her seatmate. "Hmm?"

Sejin glanced at her then returned to reading a book. "You look sad."

Yuhi exhaled roughly and leaned her head against her desk, burying her face in her arms. _What's happening to me…?_

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_Hello, people! So, how did you like the chapter? Want to guess? What do you think would happen next? Speak your minds, wonderful readers! Just type them inside that cute little review box down there ^^_

_Replies~_

_Mai: Nyahaha! My mother was giving me strange looks while writing this, asking me 'What are you smiling about?' when she caught me all giggly. Oh, really? Here! *hands you a Killua realistic robot who teaches archery* It's all yours XD About the FB account; I am a psychic. I read your mind. Mwaha~_

_2102032: Hola! I was just as clueless as well. Haha! Yes, a competition. I love a good competition as well. Gehe. But we'll see, we'll see how this would turn out. Thanks for reviewing again! :D_

_penisimo: Hello! Thank you for reviewing, omg. Asjdksdk!_

_Lani0108: YES. Haha! I love cliffhangers, so expect a lot of that from me in the coming chapters. Upupupu~ Yes, I am that Ray Chi. Hehe. I am a psychic XD_

_Pika Yuhi-chan: Hello, deary! Your review made me jump in my seat! WTH I love darn excitement and curiosity. Haha! Thank you! Good luck in school stuff as well :)_

_madin456: Well, here's the chapter to answer your queries. Haha! I honestly considered revising this when I read your comment: "She starts freaking out only to find that it's, like, a happy birthday letter or something." I almost made the letter a birthday greeting, wth. XD_

**NEXT CHAPTER: What would happen had Killua read Mitan's letter? Would Yuhi's feelings for the boy grow or sink in the drain? Prepare, because the real reason why the rain has not stopped will finally be revealed.**

A review is the most important thing for an author and I know you know that. A review will be extremely beyond anything in the universe appreciated by this authoress. She would cry while reading one, you know, because of absolute happiness. So, please, review? Review? Tahaha~ Thank you guys so muchhh!


	10. Sweet Rain, Don't Go Away

A/N: This is probably the longest chapter I have ever written in my entire life. But do NOT expect anything great, dear readers, because the _even more_ fluffy stuff will continue on to the next chapter. Hihihi~ I updated late again orz I actually have plans for this chapter but it got so long without me knowing it. So there, I cut the chapter, sooooo that we can have something fluffy to look forward to! HAHA. Yes, there. Thank you for reviewing the last chapter though. It means a looooot! *throws chocolates at y'all*

Fanart alert! Mai drew and colored a pretty portrait of Yuhi with a blushing Killua on the side aksdjfkfjdkjsk! Thank you Mai, you are so awesooooome! Check it out! Link is on my profile :D

_Doki/Ba-dump/Thump = sound of a heartbeat_

Disclaimer: I only own Yuhi, Sejin, Roroturo, and other characters except from Gon and Killua.

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER TEN  
**Sweet Rain, Don't Go away**

The big bright sun finally shined its rays on the lands of the country after four days of gloomy weather. It was another Friday, and another end to another school week. Yuhi woke up with a sunny smile on her face, beaming when she saw the sun's rays gracing the interior of her room. Getting up, she reached for her windowpane and pulled it open, inhaling the fresh morning scent in the atmosphere. The harsh and heavy rain from the night before added the fumes of dew into the air. It smelled nice, and refreshing.

Yuhi smiled and hugged herself as she felt the cool wind touching her exposed skin. She nodded firmly once. _Today is going to be great._ Turning her gaze to the calendar that hung at the back of her door and scanning through the dates with her eyes, she giggled, remembering her plans for her guardian's special day. _Roroturo-san will be so surprised!_

It was finally the day she had been waiting for; Roroturo's birthday.

Each year Yuhi has always been pulling off surprise birthday celebrations for her guardian, and in that year, she planned to give Roroturo something he really liked. Yuhi was excited. She saved up and anticipated what will happen for the day. She had already planned everything weeks ago, and she was thankful that the weather was cooperating—so far.

Taking a deep breath, Yuhi nodded to herself again. Her smile was stagnant, bright as the sun's rays. But turning her gaze towards the small clock on her study table, her face froze. Yuhi inwardly screamed. _I'm late!_

Getting ready for school each day was a fast event for our auburn-haired protagonist–especially when she was late. Yuhi would bathe and get dressed as fast as fifteen minutes if she wished. It has been one of her remarkable records. Yuhi was always late and cramming when she was in grade school after all. At that time, it took her 20 minutes to get everything done before heading for the stairs. It was then 8:10 AM. Classes start at 8:00.

"Roroturo-san!" Yuhi exclaimed as she searched for her buff guardian, carelessly grabbing the attention of the costumers inside.

Hearing the lively and loud call from the kitchen door, Roroturo peeked from his counter and saw his exuberant kid beaming at him. "There you are!" He immediately went out. Noticing the costumers who were looking their way as he walked, he gestured for them to carry on with eating. He met Yuhi's big light auburn eyes with a smile, ready to greet the girl.

But she beated him through it. "Happy birthday, Roroturo-san!" she exclaimed, running to her guardian as soon as she saw him walking and giving him a huge teddy bear tight hug.

The man laughed heartily and patted the girl's head. "Don't say it aloud. People here might question my age, you know!"

Yuhi returned the laugh, leaning away and looking at Roroturo. Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

The latter then stroked his chin. "Though I don't look like my age at all." He looked at the girl with a proud grin on his face.

Yuhi laughed at him. "Nope, not at all!" she exclaimed with a firm nod.

Roroturo chuckled and pulled the girl's arms gently from securing him. "You're late, young lady!" He stepped inside the kitchen, grabbing Yuhi's lunchbox from the long table. He handed it to her. Yuhi reached for it. "Go now. You don't want to be going home late today, now, do you?" Roroturo gave the girl a small playful grin.

And Yuhi understood it in an instant. She nodded cheerily and tip-toed forward, giving her guardian a quick peck on the cheek before sprinting out while shouting "See you later, Roroturo-san! Happy birthday!"

Yuhi hopped onto the bus while inwardly giggling, thinking of how Roroturo would react to her surprise the moment she got home. She found a spot in the fifth row of the bus and seated herself next to the window, looking out at the wet pavements and greeneries. Yuhi rested her back comfortably on the soft cushion of the bus seat and watched the quiet streets as the bus moved.

Turning to one corner, her eyes lightened up when she saw something walking along the pavement. It was a little white cat. A small smile slowly paved its way into Yuhi's countenance. The smile turned into a wide one as she bit her lower lip to suppress an upcoming giggle. A certain white-haired boy went past her thoughts. His face was annoyed and blushing in her head–one she had seen before; when Gon announced that he is his best friend in the world. Yuhi pressed her lips together to refrain from giggling loudly. However, afterwards she sighed slowly, remembering something she should not forget.

It has been a day since she gave Gon Mitan's letter to Killua. That day, after completing her mission, the strange crazy mix of melancholy and excitement infiltrated her chest. She wanted _only_ to be excited that time, for Mitan, but she still could not do it. In the afternoon, Yama called her to see him while he was at class session with 2-A. Yuhi figured it would be about the exam papers, which was true. And she knew she should be feeling nervous at that time, but she just felt… oddly even—even when she got scolded by Yama in front of the class for forgetting the papers that day, even when she heard some students snickering, and even when Killua looked away when she glanced at him. It was a great thing Gon was there, or she would completely question her sanity; because when the lively raven-haired boy greeted her she greeted him back with her usual, equally lively self. And she would feel normal again.

However, Yuhi felt frustrated until she got home, thinking about the root cause of the feeling and how to solve it. But it only flooded her chest, choking her. She did not like the sensation it gave her insides. The day after that, for the first time in her sophomore life, she wished not to see the white-haired boy, even just for a day, to lessen the passionate emotion she knew was already building strong blocks in her chest. Yuhi did not plan to result to that, no. She just did not want to fall completely for Killua–not when her dear friend Mitan officially made her a bridge between them. She did not want to be partial to the girl by saying words of courage and not meaning them inside. She needed to support Mitan. She wanted to, because she gave her word. That is why she was gratified–with the outcome and with the black-haired girl–when Mitan talked to Yuhi about her feelings for Killua.

At first, the auburn-haired girl thought her heart would start beating gravely the moment she hears Mitan's story of love for the white-haired boy. But when they sat on the bench-like structure in the rooftop of the campus building at lunch, when Mitan started talking, Yuhi felt completely awed about everything. She felt the girl's pure admiration for the white-haired boy through her gentle tone, speaking with emotion, with careful passion–almost as though she was deeply infatuated by the boy's charms, deeply in love. Yuhi was astounded by it all. She felt like crying happy tears at that time, and hugging Mitan for being so brave and strong, yet so affectionate and romantic. She wanted to cheer for the black-haired girl, to be on her side, to capture the development of everything in her love life. At that time, Yuhi did not mind her abnormally beating heart–she ignored the strange melancholic feel in her chest, because she knew that her emotions were irrelevant at the moment. No, her emotions will be irrelevant even in the future, but she chose not to think about it. Yuhi was contented, and comfortable, like a piece of rock had been, a little, pulled out of her system. Though it was not completely pulled out, she felt her chest become lighter, and at ease.

A light and funny feeling; that was what's in her chest all the while riding the bus to school a day after–the present day. She was glad about the fact that the strange and uneasy feeling was somehow gone–_that_, or she had completely immuned herself to it. But whatever the case, Yuhi was still thankful that she could manage it now. She decided to go back from the start, to how Killua shined through in her life without _him_ knowing all about it, and remain that way. She decided that she should stay in the sidelines, and watch him from afar; because letting herself fall deeper would lead into something pointless, and impossible… right? Yuhi returned to her usual cheery and happy mood since then. She just hoped that divine intervention would not put her in a situation wherein she would be daintily breaking her resolve.

Yuhi ran along the corridors of the campus the moment she reached it, sprinting up the stairs and along the 2nd floor hallway to their room. She paused in front of the closed door, and taking a deep breath, she slid it open, meeting the unison gazes of her classmates first. A sheepish smile escaped her lips. She shrugged, and turned to look at their Economics teacher. He was Mr. Pironst–a 75-year old graying teacher from a foreign country who taught only for the sake of spreading knowledge to the youth. It was a good thing the old-aged man was a considerate person. He only asked Yuhi why she was late. When the girl told him the reason with pure honesty, she silently retreated in her seat, meeting the fiercely moral stare of her president seatmate.

It was an hour of Gross Domestic Products and Gross National Products until the break time came. Yuhi was fixing her desk immediately to grab some snack in the canteen–for not eating breakfast before going to school–when a small, shy voice called her attention.

"Yuhi?"

"Yep?" The addressed looked up, instantly smiling when she saw who it was. "Mimi-chan!" Yuhi carelessly put everything in her bag and stood up, facing her black-haired classmate.

Mitan gave a small sheepish smile. She looked around before grabbing her friend's wrist and and pulling her arm to follow her out of the room with all her tiny strength.

Yuhi's eyes grew wide with surprise as she walked through the spaces in the room. She blinked when Mitan paused in the hallway, making the auburn-haired girl look around to find any signs of presence. They were alone. Yuhi figured it was about her friend's letter.

The black-haired girl again shot a sheepish smile towards Yuhi's direction. Looking at the auburn-haired girl with her big black eyes, she shrugged. "It's about the letter."

And Yuhi's hunch was right. She nodded seriously and leaned forward a bit to listen to what her friend had to say–noting that Mitan needed to drag her outside to talk about that. She could have just silently asked for it inside the room like the day before. Something must be up.

Mitan took a deep breath. "D-Do you think… K… he has read it yet?" she inquired silently.

Pursing her lips was necessary. Yuhi wanted to laugh, not at Mitan, but at herself–thinking of how she also _could not_ say _his_ name aloud like her friend. Yuhi smiled reassuringly. "I can ask Gon again today," she answered gently. The spiky-haired boy did tell her the day before, when she inquired about it, that Killua 'forgot' to read it, adding that he would make sure the white-haired boy would have read it by Friday–and that day was Friday.

Mitan's eyes sparkled. She beamed as she looked down. "Thank you, Yuhi-chan." Here she bowed. "I'm sorry for the trouble!"

Yuhi's eyes grew wide as she leaned back, shaking her hands in front of the black-haired girl. "No, you gave me no trouble at all!" she wholeheartedly exclaimed with a smile on her face.

Mitan smiled purely as she looked at the auburn-haired girl. She then played with the ends of her school sweater as she silently spoke. "I really hope he has read it by now. I-It's kinda important… for me to know his… response today."

"I'm sure he has read it! Gon said he'd make sure of it, so I believe he did." Yuhi smiled as questions about the letter swarmed in her head, because though she was the 'bridge', she did not actually ask Mitan what the letter was about. Yuhi did not ask for information about the content–what Mitan wrote in there, what she needed so badly to know within the week and what she possibly asked Killua. Our auburn-haired protagonist thought of the letter as a private conversation between two people. She need not interfere by inquiring things about it–and she did not want to feel insanely weird by knowing what the content was. But at that time, it started to get her thinking. _Just what was in the letter…?_

The black-haired girl beamed once more, nodding and shrugging with pure anticipation–hopeful.

Yuhi smiled widely at that again. Mitan looked so optimistic and excited about conveying her feelings to the one she truly and romantically adored. The auburn-haired girl inwardly applauded her for her bravery. It made her raise her fist in the air and nod firmly once. "I am also going to make sure he reads it today, Mimi-chan!"

The latter heartily chuckled. She nodded again. "Thank you, Yuhi!"

Yuhi released a hearty chuckle of her own. She then sighed with awe, and beaming at the black-haired girl she instantly stood straight, jabbing a thumb to the left. "Hey, wanna get some snack? I haven't had breakfast yet." She declared sheepishly, rubbing her belly. "Ah, and we never know! We might catch Gon in the canteen. I can ask him about it then!"

Here, Mitan's expression transformed into a surprised one–her small mouth formed a small 'o,' pink colour painting her cheeks immediately. In an instant, she was inside the room, peeking through the doorframe as she looked at Yuhi with her blushing face. "I'm sorry, Yuhi. I-It would be embarrassing if we s-see them in the canteen, you know…" she silently mused, stuttering immensely.

The latter released a quiet laugh. _She's so cute!_ Locking gazes with Mitan she nodded. "Alright, I'll ask him when I see him. Would you like me to buy you something downstairs?"

A small shy smile escaped the black-haired girl's lips. She shook her head. "No, thank you. Go buy something to eat now, Yuhi-chan. You must be hungry."

Mitan's tiny voice made her giggle. Yuhi smiled and shrugged as she nodded, turning and waving a hand to head for the staircase. She then looked down as she walked along the hallway, thinking of the mystery behind Mitan's letter. _Could it be a full-blast confession; asking him if he could accept her heart or not?_ Yuhi tapped her chin curiously with her index finger. _Then why did Mimi-chan hoped for an answer within the week?_ It was a deep question, touching the heart of Mitan's affection for Killua. Yuhi thought she should not be dwelling onto that. So she shrugged and smiled, cheering for Mitan in her head. _I just hope that Mitan would stay strong whatever the outcome may b—_

_Bump._

Yuhi paused in her tracks as she stroked the part of her forehead that bumped into something hard… but soft. She looked up, only to feel all kinds of butterflies flapping their wings crazily inside her guts and chest. She gasped, cupping her mouth shut with both of her hands.

Doki.

_DOKI._

It was a person, and his name is Killua.

Yuhi started palpitating, hyperventilating. The boy's physique was so close to her face. However, Killua's wide-eyed surprised gaze made her look around. She was walking along the corridors of 2-A, and stopped in front of the class' door. That might explain it all. Killua might be sprinting out of the room while the auburn-haired girl was busy thinking without looking at where she was going. With scrambled brain cells, Yuhi returned her gaze to the blue orbs of the boy with her equally surprised, and shocked, and tensed, and terrified, and whatever gaze.

Killua raised his eyebrows to question.

This made Yuhi get back to earth. She blinked and finally leaned away, immediately turning around to check if her black-haired friend saw; because she would not want that. To her fast beating heart's relief, the hallway behind her was empty. Yuhi released air from her mouth and turned back around. A reflex smile was instantly plastered on the girl's face, followed by a reflex action. Yuhi bowed. She was to apologize. But before she could utter a word a call halted her.

"Killua! Let's go!"

Yuhi looked up to inquire from whom the unfamiliar voice belonged. There she saw a group of boys standing by the staircase at the end of the hallway, waiting for their white-haired friend to come around. With a heavy _ba-dump_ in her chest, Yuhi turned her gaze back at her angel, and wondered why he was still standing there in front of her. Yuhi then blinked, and looked down, and looked back at him. Killua's blue orbs were suddenly very, very intense as he looked at her. It was piercing, stabbing her straight in the heart. Yuhi did not know what was going on inside Killua's mind at that time. But he definitely looked like he was reading her, analysing her, like he was waiting for her to do something dumb and silly, however in absolute gravity, in seriousness–in pure _attractive_ seriousness, as Yuhi would define it.

Intimidated by the boy's lovely face, the girl hoped to open her mouth for a question. But Killua shifting his gaze from her auburn eyes towards their classroom stopped her. Yuhi turned her gaze as well in unison with Killua. The boy called out "Gon!" with the same old weary tone in his voice. Then hearing a faint "Go ahead! I'll catch up!" from inside the room, the girl returned to the white-haired boy.

Killua only glanced at the girl with the same indifferent expression he beheld on his face, before throwing his hands inside his pockets and sprinting to the staircase.

A very massive amount of air was released from Yuhi's lungs when the white-haired boy was out of sight. Her heart was beating so fast–faster, and faster–so fast, that she needed to press her palms hard against her chest to somehow calm the nerves down. It was bad event–a very, very _gloriously_ bad event for her, because she knew then, that her passionate feelings stepped up higher. It was so close, so, so close to pushing her by the edge of the river, and making her fall deep into the waters, pushing her, without control, to flow with the current and clash with tidal waves. And she could not belive it. Because although she was holding herself back, Yuhi liked the feeling it gave. It made her chest swell in a felicific kind of way. She was… happy. But she knew she should not be. It must be, _must be_, unfair to her dear little black-haired friend.

Yuhi took deep breaths as she stared with wide eyes at the tiled floor. The impact was grave. She was absent-mindedly breathing hard. But she wanted to smile, so badly, because of the gleeful feeling she could not anymore contain in her chest. So smile she did, and it made her feel amazing.

"Oh, hey Yuhi!"

The adressed's expression intantly changed the moment she heard someone calling her name. Yuhi looked up, meeting the sparkly brown eyes of a spiky-haired friend. It relieved her. She smiled widely. "Gon!"

The boy's smile was excited. "What are standing here for? Are you waiting for someone?"

This made Yuhi blink. For a second she tensed, but she laughed it off. "No, I was on my way to the canteen and I… I bumped into K… Killua." The girl giggled inwardly. How could she say his name with so much tenderness? "Are you going somewhere?"

"Ah!" Gon chuckled heartily. He nodded. "Yep! We're going to help Mr. Tenoshiru with the equipments in the gym. He said he needed boy volunteers so, we're the boys! You said you're going to the canteen? Let's walk down together!"

Yuhi felt like laughing. She nodded and followed Gon to the staircase, thinking that she should inquire for something right there and then. When they reached the staircase to head down, Yuhi finally spoke. "Hey, Gon, before I forget. How's the letter, by the way?" Her voice was silent and hopeful, wishing that she would receive a positive response.

The spiky-haired boy almost jumped as he turned to the girl, raising his index finger in the air. "That's right! I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me." Gon laughed sheepishly, rubbing his nape as they stepped down the stairs.

Yuhi felt like she would receive an opposite response to what she was hoping, but she was still wishful.

And her expectations were met. Gon was excited. He beamed. "Killua said yes!" he exclaimed, as they paused in their tracks, reaching the ground floor of the building.

Yuhi blinked, and she did not know what to feel about that. But a huge part of her was equally excited. Mitan should be extremely happy of the news! With a stagnant enthusiastic face, Yuhi waited for more of what Gon had to say.

The latter turned around to eye the gym. There, several meters behind him was his waiting best friend. Yuhi hesitantly released a small smile at his direction. Gon waved a hand at him and returned to the girl. "Tell Mitan it's a date!" He grinned. But before Yuhi could ask what that meant, he sprinted away.

The girl was left standing there as she watched Gon enter the school gym with his white-haired best friend, wondering even more what Mitan's letter was all about. _A date?_ She pondered as she walked to the canteen. A smile then crept onto her face while she imagined how Mitan would react the moment she told her about the good news. Yuhi shrugged and giggled silently as she stepped in the canteen, excitingly grabbing a slice of banana cake in a wrapper and a small carton of milk. She then immediately ran up the stairs and towards their room, ignoring the sullen feeling roaring inside her chest.

The moment Yuhi reached their classroom, she immediately pulled Mitan outside to tell her what Gon had said. The auburn-haired girl was extremely happy beyond compare upon seeing her friend's reaction. She had never seen a girl look so much in love in her life. Mitan was incredibly overwhelmed, her black eyes sparkling like marbles–so much that Yuhi thought she was going to cry of absolute joy.

A hug concluded their conversation, a hug Yuhi was the first to give. She wanted to embrace Mitan–for her amazing fearlessness, and to wish her the best of luck–saying that no matter what happened she would still root for her. The black-haired girl was giggling all the while Yuhi was stating her words of courage. And she gave her thanks with pure words, for everything.

The conversation ended with the topic of food and breakfast, with Yuhi mentioning the need of eating when she felt her stomach grumble. The girls parted with smiles on their faces. Yuhi knew Mitan must have been so incredibly satisfied with everything going on around her, and she felt equally happy about that, happy for her. The auburn-haired girl hummed as she ate her small breakfast, giggling and shrugging each time she caught Sejin looking at her with a disbelievingly confused look on her face. Yuhi wanted to share to the world the happiness her friend was feeling, she wanted to tell Sejin, but she could not because of the promise she gave Mitan. She then would turn to look out the window after shooting goofy smiles towards the president's direction, assuming that Sejin would probably think that she was in the good mood because of the white-haired boy again.

Yuhi sighed, though, as she recalled her encounter with Killua ealier, and her encounter with the strong passion that roared within her. However she decided to gather them all, and lock them in a vault, where she could ignore it, because she knew that if she would think about it more, figure it out within herself, the feeling would only grow into something uncontrollably strong, solid, and intense. Yuhi did not want that to happen–not yet, perhaps–for Mitan. She gave her word, and although the black-haired girl never mentioned anything about what the letter was all about–to which Yuhi did not inquire further–she decided to cheer for her. Because for Yuhi, friends should come first. She was the one that needed to adjust, even though that meant she had to ignore what she was feeling deep within her.

The day went on normally once more for everyone in school. The weather was fairly nice all throughout the first half. Teachers only reviewed the students some of the past lessons of the quarter saying, repeatedly, that those were for the upcoming exams, and the students were, as usual, in their normal class routines. At lunch, the whole school was in normal rumble as the students take full advantage of their break time. Yuhi was equally enthusiastic as she talked to her classmates, declaring the special day of her guardian when something related came into the conversations. From time to time, she would check the sky, hopeful that it would remain sunny until she got home, at least. Five minutes before the second half of school, she looked out the window again, noticing gray clouds that started hovering over the lands. Yuhi took a deep breath at that, praying over and over again for the sun to stay–and reassuring herself that everything would go well according to plan nevertheless.

In the afternoon it started drizzling, enough to wet the courts in the campus grounds. It made Yuhi think of a quick compromise. She decided to head immediately off the moment school was dismissed. In case the drizzles turned into rain, she should be coming home while the sky still emits light from the setting sun behind the dark clouds. Yuhi's resolve was solid at that time, and her sweet plan for Roroturo was what occupied her mind all throughout. However, it seemed that no matter how resolute Yuhi's resolve may be, it did not keep her away from her delinquent habit of sleeping in class. Maybe it was because of the cool and slumberous aura the atmosphere gave, or the lullaby sound in the voice of their old Language teacher. Yuhi feel asleep again, twenty minutes before the last class ended. She woke up by the sound of Sejin calling her name. Immediately after blinking and realizing what she did, Yuhi fixed her things, before rushing to where the broom was.

"You're in a hurry," Sejin noted as she scanned through the papers on her desk, glancing at Yuhi who sweeped the floor of their room as fast as she could.

The auburn-haired girl was thankful that class 2-C and 2-A were neat. She skipped them, rapidly moving inside their homeroom. Yuhi carelessly lifted the chairs to scoop dirt from under them and dropped them to move on to another one. She glanced at the class president. "It's Roroturo's birthday, Sejin. I need to get home fast." Then glancing out the window she emitted a sharp sigh before returning to her work. The sky was becoming darker, not because of the twilight, but because of the weather.

The raven-haired girl pushed the bridge of her glasses as she shrugged. "You should have never slept in class in the first place. I would have bailed you out, you know, but Mr. Yama saw us while I was _attempting_ to wake you up."

Yuhi pursed her lips and smiled sheepishly as she walked towards where the dustpan was. "I'm really sorry, Sejin. But I swear I planned to go home early today. Sleep just… possessed me again, I think." She laughed as she swept all the dirt into the pan. "Sorry, pres." Yuhi turned to look at her seatmate, giving her a wide grin.

Sejin shook her head in disbelief and returned to her papers. "Well, finish that so you can go home already."

The auburn-haired girl then threw the content of the dustpan into the trash bin outside their room and returned in, placing the cleaning materials in their respective space and aligning the desks and chairs properly. Yuhi was fixing the third row chairs when she stretched her neck out to look at what Sejin was doing. "What's that you're writing about?"

The raven-haired girl sighed as though she was carrying the heaviest load on earth. "I'm calculating my expenses for the next month. With all the things we needed to pay for school, I need to budget. And the cultural camp trip or whatever Mrs. Malu was requiring us to attend is just plain annoying. We have to pay for it, by force, even though we know she's not even doing a good job in teaching history."

Yuhi pouted as she moved on from the third row to the fourth row. She nodded slowly, reminding herself to tell her guardian about the camp trip Mrs. Malu explained earlier that day. They had to pay fees for it. Yuhi understood why Sejin was annoyed. But instead she chuckled at her moralistic seatmate. "I'm sure it'll be worth it, Sejin."

The latter looked at the girl in pure disbelief. "Oh, they should definitely make sure of that or I will report to Mr. Chango." When Yuhi laughed, Sejin cleared her throat. "I just remembered, _all_ second year students are required, right? That must be why you are so cool with this."

With this, the auburn-haired girl's eyes grew wide. Did she not pay much attention or did she just miss that tiny detail earlier? _All second year students are required. All second year students. All._ Yuhi was beyond ecstatic inside. She smiled wide–quite goofily–as she looked away from their president, thinking about how the camp trip would turn out to be. But turning her gaze back at Sejin, she replied with something even she herself knew was unlike her. "It should be fun then, right?"

Sejin's eyebrows creased when she heard the calmed and composed tone in the normally enthusiastically high-pitched voice of Yuhi. She wanted so badly to ask what happened. But immediately she dropped the thought, feeling that Yuhi would eventually tell her about it–if ever there was something to tell about. "Are you done?" she asked indifferently, changing the subject in an instant.

The girl was fixing the last two chairs of the last row when she nodded. "Yep!" She looked at Sejin who was already zipping her bag close, walking through the spaces in between the chairs to reach her desk. "Let's go?" Yuhi asked with a smile, grabbing her bag and hanging it around her.

Sejin nodded once as she stood up, following Yuhi out of the room and out of the campus building. It was then 4:57 PM.

Walking out of the school gates, Yuhi looked up at the sky. She frowned upon seeing tiny lightnings scattering behind the dark clouds. Pressing her lips together, she nodded once to herself and turned to her raven-haired friend. "I'll go on from here, Sejin," she mused, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

The addressed blinked–a puzzled look hovering over her face. "Why? I thought you said you needed to get home early."

Yuhi chuckled. "I need to buy something for Roroturo-san, of course!"

Sejin looked up and around before nodding. "Okay. Take care on the way home, then. It might rain."

The auburn-haired girl nodded cheerily. "I've prepared myself for the rain!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, raising her tiny fist in the air. Yuhi then waved a hand at her seatmate before turning to the opposite direction. "Take care on the way home too, Sejin! Bye! See you on Monday!" She then sprinted off, turning around once to check if her friend had already walked off home too.

Yuhi ran until she reached a right turn on the pavement. It was then when she started walking slowly that she felt tiny drizzles falling from the sky. Yuhi looked up and spread her palm out. It got darker. The drizzles grew into huge droplets of rain, until a massive amount poured hard in an instant. Yuhi ran to a nearby shed, immediately hoisting her white umbrella from her bag. She stared out at the rain as it poured, imagining the sidewalks and turns she'd have to run along in order to get to where she intended to go as fast as she could.

The girl then nodded once with a determined, solid look on her face. No matter what happens she must buy Roroturo the sweet gift she was saving up for. She could not back up only because of the rain. Yuhi spread her umbrella open, and taking a deep breath she charged into the rain. The town's pastry shop was not _that_ far off.

* * *

"Good afternoon! Welcome to Fondant Garden!"

The auburn-haired girl nodded cheerily at the smiling lady who greeted her from the counter of the luminous pastry shop she entered. Yuhi shut her folding umbrella close and placed it on the rack by the glass door. Looking up and around, a wide smile slowly paved its way across her excited face. It was the first time she entered the shop since it opened a few months ago. It somehow appeased the cold and dark weather outside. It was warm inside, and the smell of sugar and sweet things instantly filled the air as soon as she entered.

Yuhi looked around, her auburn eyes sparkling with amusement as she scanned through the interior of the place. The walls and ceilings were painted white, with a little dash of baby pink and yellow swirls on them, and faint drawings of uniquely designed cupcakes in light blue, light green, soft orange, and gray. The floor was tiled in beige, infused with pink and purple, shining as the small chandelier lights that hovered above reflected on it. To her right were the chairs and tables, designed in a French café-like fashion; metal also painted in white, matching the walls that enclosed them all. To her left was the colourful glass counter where the adorably designed cupcakes and cakes were displayed.

Yuhi immediately stepped towards it and crouched down a bit, scanning through the pastries with a huge, excited smile on her face. _Roroturo-san is definitely going to like this!_ She shrugged of delight and held her hands tight together against her chest. She remembered Roroturo mention how much he loved sweets and cakes a couple of years back. Yuhi was so excited back then, because she found out something about her guardian. In the past year of Roroturo's birthday, she attempted to bake him a cake. But to the girl's dismay she failed at it–terribly–earning her playful and teasing laugh from her guardian. That was the time she promised that she would give Roroturo an amazingly looking, and tasty cake in the future. Fortunately, a few months ago, a pastry shop opened its doors to grace confectionary desserts to the people in town. It immediately gave Yuhi a sweet idea. She should absolutely buy Roroturo something he liked.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

Knowing that the question was for her, the auburn-haired girl looked up, meeting the smiling face of the woman from the counter. She was wearing a pink ruffled apron above a purple long-sleeved shirt as uniform. Yuhi thought they looked cute. She beamed at the lady. "Hi!" she greeted cheerily, returning to scanning among the pastries behind the glass counter. There were many cupcakes–all designed in a unique, and crafty way–topped with fluffy icing and different pastel coloured and different shaped frostings on top. Yuhi hummed to herself as she tapped her chin with her inex finger; her eyebrows creased. She found it hard to choose. Smiling to herself, she looked up at the lady employee. "I'm buying sweets for my father. Can you help me please?" she asked nicely.

The lady nodded. "Are you a student?"

"Yep!"

"Well…" The employee then leaned over and pointed to the set of cupcakes in the upper left corner of the counter. "We have a combo set of pretty much all of the small cupcakes you see in here." She then moved her gesture towards the lower part of the display.

Yuhi looked at them. The small cupcakes she was referring to really were small, about two inches high, and three inches in diameter. The designs were adorably cute. There were some with red swirly frostings on top, some with mangoes and strawberried and other fruits, some with chocolate, and even some with carrot-shaped designs. It made Yuhi giggle excitingly. When she looked back at the lady employee she was beaming. "Can I choose what to include in the set?"

The employee nodded again. "Yes. You can choose up to six small cupcakes and three regular sized cupcakes."

"Okay!" Yuhi then started pointing out differently designed sugarcoated desserts from the glass counter as the lady listed them. She had asked the employee how much it would cost, and luckily, the combo set was just right on her budget. She paid for the sweets as soon as she was done.

"Please wait a little while we wrap these up for you, ma'am."

Yuhi nodded and turned around, walking to the chairs and taking a seat by the table next to the glass window. She leaned back and looked out. It was getting darker and darker by the minute, and the rain was still pouring hard, but it did not hinder her from feeling great inside. Although she knew she was going to be lectured for spending her money on something that looked expensive, she was still excited. She was so excited to give Roroturo her gift. Yuhi shrugged of delight and smiled to herself as she thought of how Roroturo would react upon seeing the cupcakes. She then saw a person looking at her from the outside as he walked, holding his umbrella tight with both hands. Yuhi instantly flashed the person a sheepish smile, thinking of how ridiculous she must look like to people who happened to glance at her.

Sighing, Yuhi turned to look ahead, noticing the menu book of the shop on her table. She hoisted it and scanned through the colourful cakes and other pastries therein. She noted that the shop not only sold cakes and cupcakes, but also candies and chocolates, in different designs as well, and can be personalized. Yuhi pouted when she read that she could buy a custom-made candy in the shop. _Aww, too bad,_ _I should have browsed through these weeks before._ She then shrugged. _Oh well, there's always a next time._ Yuhi thought of what the possible personalized design she could come up with for Roroturo when the shop's entrance bell rang.

"Good afternoon! Welcome to Fondant Garden!"

With human reflex Yuhi looked up to see who the person who entered was. Then she froze. _What…?_ Yuhi could not–_she could not_–believe her eyes. She even blinked and inwardly pinched her cheeks to make sure she was not dreaming. No, she was not. _Heh—_ Her heart started racing.

Killua.

Yuhi instantly hid her face behind the menu book she was holding. It was a silly thing, she knew, because the boy's back was facing her. He should not notice the girl, unless she did something dumb. Yuhi was careful. She absent-mindedly held her breath and ceased to move her muscles as she tried to hide her whole persona behind the tiny menu book, praying that the lady from before would not call her name yet to claim her order. Oh no, she dared not make her presence known to the white-haired boy at that moment. She would not know what to do then if that happened. She would not know how she would feel.

A twisted expression painted her face as she inwardly whined. _Why?_ She asked the heavens. _Why did you have to pick the perfect setting and the most perfect boy to appear in it while I'm here?_ Yuhi pressed her lips together as she peeked through the menu book to look at the physique of the white-haired boy. It made her want to cry even more. Killua wore this purple jacket over a plain white V-necked shirt, a pair of beige pants and gray sneakers. It matched his fluffy white hair and deep blue eyes perfectly. Yuhi had pictured the boy in normal clothes before in her head, and it made her giggle of delight then. Now that she was seeing him in a boy-next-door kind of fashion, she could not help but feel so… so… _attracted_. The feeling was too much to contain she wanted to cry, because she was praying, hoping, that _not_ an event should _ever_ happen that could make her fall deeper for the white-haired boy. Yuhi breathed out roughly while she watched Killua hand his payment to the lady by the counter, noticing the droplets of rain on his right temple and sideburns. She also noticed that his jacket was a little wet. Yuhi eyebrows creased. She suddenly got worried without her knowing it.

"Thank you for coming, sir!"

Yuhi blinked as she watched Killua receive his small bag of… _candies?_ The girl cocked her head to the side in wonder. _Why is the bag so fat and full?_

"Thanks!" the white-haired boy muttered as he walked out of the shop. His voice stepped an octave higher, and he was smiling. He was excitingly smiling.

The auburn-haired girl sat straight as she turned her gaze to where Killua disappeared. A smile then crept across Yuhi's face. She cupped her mouth with her right hand to hide it from people. _He so cute… like a little boy._

Doki.

It was a plus point. Yuhi was pushed near the edge of the river again.

"Ms. Nagame?"

The addressed immediately hopped out of her seat and walked towards the counter with a smile on her face.

"Here you go. Thank you for coming!" The same lady from earlier handed the girl a square box wrapped inside a purple and pink crepe bag, tied tight with a white ribbon.

Yuhi received it with both hands gently–careful not to ruin the beautiful folds of the crepe bag. She beamed at the lady employee. "Thank you!" she exclaimed before heading for the glass door. Yuhi's eyes were sparkling while she looked at the pretty cupcakes from the clear plastic in the middle of the box. _Roroturo-san will be soooo happy!_ She paused by the door for her umbrella. But scanning through the rack her smile faded. _Where is it?_

Panic filled the girl's chest at that time. She looked around, below, and in between the rack but her umbrella was not anywhere in sight. She even asked the employees whether they saw a person take it. Maybe they have just mistaken it for their own. To her dismay, they did not notice anything. Yuhi thought about it. Then she remembered the man who was looking at her in a suspicious kind of way from outside the shop. She remembered seeing his umbrella. It was just like her white one. Yuhi felt her knees becoming weak upon realization. _So, that's why he was looking at me that way!_ She then ran outside, looking at the direction the man was walking a little while earlier, hoping he would still be there. Seeing the empty streets, she closed her eyes and gripped the bag of cupcakes with her tiny shaky hands. She then looked up, stepping backwards when crazy droplets of rain touched the back of her hand. The downpour was strong. Yuhi literally hit her head with her fist. _Stupid…_

"…Oh? Ramen girl?"

_Eh—?_ The instant she heard this, the auburn-haired girl's heartbeat started galloping. She shot her head up, turning her gaze to the right, meeting the wide blue eyes of a white-haired boy. Yuhi blinked, several times, before gasping silently, blood rushing to her cheeks immediately. "_Eh!?_"

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_Sooooo, how was the chapter? Quite long and boring? Cliffhanger too soon? Well, if you have something to say, why don't you scroll down a bit and type that in the cute little review box down there. Teeheeee~_

_Replies:_

_Nispedana-san! Hello! I wanted to personally reply to your wonderful reviews but your PM is closed, awww. Anyway, I should reply to you here. Hihi. Thank you again so much for reading this. It means a lot. And your reviews... tehehe~ Thank you for saying that this has potential and for saying that Yuhi is likable :') Yep, I think the development will be slow, for suspense. XD Thank you again so muchhhh!_

_Mai! Awww, really? I'm so glad you think of it that way. Killua's reaction at the rooftop. Ha- Hahahaha! Gon's such a gent, he's adorable 3 LOL Then I'll give you a Killua realistic life-sized doll so he can be soft and huggable!_

_2102032! I thought about Yuhi carelessly dropping the letter and someone picking it up, reading it, and completely thinking that it was from her to Killua. Then her secret crushing will be revealed. Hahaha! But no, that would end abruptly XD Yes, Killua's weak in math. Let's take advantage of that lol Thank you again for the reviewwww!_

_Guest! Hello! Thank you for the short review. I will surely take note of that :)_

**NEXT CHAPTER: What could possibly happen between Yuhi and Killua amidst the rain? Will the girl get home as planned? Why did they have to meet at the same place, time, and with such a weather?**

The next chapter will be... *goofy smile* Oh, let's just wait for another week and see what happens. But before leaving, drop a review once more, please? I might update a little earlier if this long chapter receives more reviews than usual. Hohoho~ Thank you so mucccchhh! Bless you all :)


	11. Is Fate Even Real?

A/N: Dun dun dun dunnnn~ Again, with the endless apologies, I am truly, truly sorry of updating late, guys! My life is becoming busier and busier by the hour. /sigh/ Anyway, here's the new chapter, yay! This is only composed of a short... scene or two, or three. I just had to be detailed-oriented on this. Hehe :) Leggo, leggo, leggooooooo! I am excited. 3

_Doki/Ba-dump = sound of a heartbeat_

Disclaimer: A fanfiction.

* * *

**TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCE**

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
**Is Fate Even Real?**

Heavy downpour of rain was all there was to hear, the scent of wet earth was all there was to smell, and the sight of an auburn-haired girl and a white-haired boy locking gazes five feet away from each other—alone in the quiet streets of Tomo, standing in front of a pastry shop—was all there was to see. There they stood along the pavement, staring with surprise at each other's eyes. No one was talking. No one was moving. It took about ten seconds before someone could utter a word.

"What are you doing here?" Killua spoke first. He blinked. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

As if she was holding her breath, and as if her heart stopped, Yuhi let air out of her lungs, feeling her life muscle pumping too much blood with its fast rate. Her face started feeling hot. She felt like she was a bomb about to explode. Yet she remained frozen.

The boy raised an eyebrow, pulling the red lollipop he was chewing out of his mouth. "Hey, hallway girl, what's up with you?" he called out.

Here Yuhi blinked and finally gained the strength to stand up straight, and bow—though nervously. "H-Hello!" she greeted, her tone was high and shaky.

Killua's eyes grew wide with the unexpected polite gesture. "What the…?"

Realizing what she did, Yuhi immediately stood straight again, flashing the boy a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry…" she trailed off, looking down and feeling ridiculous.

Silence.

Yuhi did not know what to do. She was again torn between staying and turning away. If she stayed, she was afraid she might be pushed another step near the edge of the unknown again. But if she turned away, the pretty box in her hands might receive the consequences it did not deserve. Yuhi turned and stood before the rain, watching the huge drops it made on the concrete road.

"What are you doing out here?"

Doki.

The girl thought of her white umbrella again. She sighed. _My poor umbrella…_

"Are you lost or something?" Killua added the question in a tired mumble.

Yuhi almost laughed, but she did not. She shook her head, smiling as she glanced at Killua to gesture towards the pastry shop behind them. "I came from in here," she declared silently, raising the box she was holding. Killua looked at it. She continued, an excited feeling paving its way through her chest. "It's Roroturo-san's birthday!" she exclaimed, beaming.

Killua nodded slowly as he placed his lollipop back in his mouth. "Oh." He then gazed over the whole person of the girl, as if looking for something. "Then why are you still here?"

_Ack._ Yuhi thought about it, but she could not come up with a lie a little less stupid than what had happened. She shrugged. "My umbrella, I think…" she looked down, stroking the end strands of her hair with her free hand. "I think it got stolen." She ended the sentence with a laugh.

But Killua did not buy it. His face was disbelivingly grave.

The rain sounded like it poured harder when silence once again ensued. Yuhi looked down, and played with her shoes as she thought of how she could get home.

"…That's stupid," the boy mumbled suddenly, grinding the lollipop in his mouth and throwing the stick to a nearby trash bin.

Coming from her white-haired angel, Yuhi knew she would be somehow surprised by that call. But it seemed as though she was getting used to the boy's way of talking. She uttered a small laugh. "I know." However seeing herself smiling again and getting comfortable with the white-haired boy's presence beside her, Yuhi instantly retracted. She blinked and looked at him. "I-I think I should go now. Roroturo-san might be looking for me." She smiled.

"I'll bet," Killua answered, pulling his hands off his jacket's pockets and facing the girl. He looked at her, jabbing a thumb towards the rain. "You're going home through _that?_"

With confused, wide eyes, Yuhi nodded.

The white-haired boy showed a little smirk across his lips as he looked away from the girl. "That should be fun to watch."

Here the girl's heart fell. She was not expecting some pretty words of courage from the boy, no, but at least she expected something polite. It was a good sign, because it pulled her a little from the edge. But is was a bad sign at the same time, because she felt a painful slash in the chest. Yuhi felt like completely leaving at that time, and so she did. "Good night." She bowed her head a little. Her tone was solid, cold. She regretted it when she turned around to walk away.

"Hey, ramen girl!"

Freeze. Yuhi did not know why her heart stopped when she heard the call from the white-haired boy. She paused in her tracks, clenching her fists tight to ready her heart before slowly turning back around.

Killua was still standing where the girl left him. He sighed and looked down as he approached her, ruffling his hair a little.

Yuhi's heart was not ready enough. It gave off fast beats and slow loud and hard _thumps_ all at the same time, while watching the boy walk towards her with his beautiful physique. She distinctly remembered seeing that particular scene in one of her dreams–of _him_ walking towards her with his hair and clothes blown by the wind, looking as perfect and flawless as ever. Yuhi was close to smiling. However, she instantly shook her head when she met his eyes. She was about to ask a question when the boy walked past her, the wind blowing his hair towards her direction. His scent was… sweet. _No._ Shaking the thoughts away again, Yuhi's eyebrows creased as she followed Killua with her eyes, wondering if he's just playing tricks on her or what.

The answer was given when the boy stopped walking, turning around to look at the girl with his somnolent blue eyes. "What are you standing there for?" Killua then looked down and mumbled a silent "Let's go."

_Heh…_ Here Yuhi's heart started beating abnormally, so fast yet loud and slow she did not know how to describe it anymore. She was infatuated, enchanted, charmed. She felt like the magician's assistant again. Killua's words and tone of voice lured her near him, as if she was hypnotized. She stepped forward without second-guessing, but suddenly seeing a smiling black-haired girl in her head she stopped, and felt obnoxious. Yuhi blinked. "Where are we going?" she shouted across the pavement as the thunder roared.

Killua completely then turned around to look at the girl. His face made a twisted disbelieved expression. He shrugged. "Isn't it obvious?"

Yuhi did not know how fast her heart was racing that moment. She knew what that meant. She took a deep breath to calm it down a little, not knowing what to say or do. Glancing around to think of something, she catched the clock from inside the pastry shop—eyes instantly widening when she saw the time. It was nearing six in the evening. She needed to hurry home. She turned to look at the sky. The rain was consistently heavy. She turned to look ahead. Killua looked painfully beaituful the girl did not know how that happened.

Yuhi immediately shook her head to avoid getting hypnotized again. When the sky once more roared, the girl hugged the box in her hands, running towards Killua's direction. She paused when she reached him, shouting her words midst the rain. "I'm really sorry, but I'm fne in going by myself. The rain's strong. You should head back. Gon might be worrying about you."

Killua stood straight, lips parting, when the girl bowed.

"Please take care on the way home!" Yuhi exclaimed as she stretched her back straight. She waved a hand and sprinted through the sidewalk, not turning to look back to see if the boy was still there. Yuhi ran and ran along, until she slowed down and started walking normally. She focused her gaze ahead before releasing a massive amount of air from her lungs, inquiring where the shed along the pavement she was walking through would cease. It was near the open road beneath the downpour.

Yuhi took another deep breath and exhaled it fully, hugging the box of sweets in her arms to feel her heartrate. She was panting, and she knew it was not only because of the distance she ran, because when she started breathing normally, her heart still felt like it was about to burst out of her chest without warning. She felt the loud beats throb in her throat, and in all of the pulses in her body. Yuhi knew it was because of him. It was because of Killua.

Remembering the event that happened ten seconds ago—that event playing in rewind inside her head—the auburn-haired girl could not help but question her stars. _Why do I always have to be caught in the middle of everything with him?_ Yuhi inhaled air, feeling her knees weakening when she remembered the whole appearance of Killua when he said the most hypnotizing thing she had ever heard in her life.

_"What are you standing there for? Let's go."_

Yuhi's heart started pumping blood faster. A groan excaped her throat as she ruffled her forelocks and kicked the air. _I said, no!_ Inwardly she was scolding the circumstances, but outside, absent-mindedly, she was smiling. The giddy feeling was too overwhelming to contain, she just have to let it out. _I thought I wished that I won't get into such a situation with him. More of this and I'll completely be…_ Yuhi bit her lower lip and shrugged continuously, walking fast as she neared the end spot of the pavement.

Upon reaching, she stopped and observed the rain, gaze shifting from the sky to the nearby shed a few meters away. The heavy rain made the streets appear obscure in the auburn-haired girl's eyes. But despite it all she still decided to push through with going home. Yuhi removed her bag and placed it to stand on the bricked sidewalk while she shrugged off her jacket, wrapping the object around the box she held in her hand. Then hoisting her bag and hanging it back around her, she stood straight, took a deep breath, secured the box in her arms, and sprinted away.

The rain was harsh; hitting our protagonist as though every drop was a dagger. With every step, water splashed all over her shoes and legs, completely wetting them. Yuhi looked ahead and focused her eyes. The shed was nearing.

A few steps more and she was covered, panting as she wiped her wet arms against her uniform. She then removed her jacket from wrapping the box of sweets to check any damage. A thankful smile escaped the girl's lips. The delicate crepe paper was still perfectly dry. Yuhi exhaled quickly of relief, wrapping her box again with the cloth. _I hope I can keep this up until I get to the bus station._

Stretching her neck to check how many more meters she had have to run in order to get to where the bus station was, Yuhi sighed. _I've got a long way to go._ She then smiled to herself, chuckling a little, because of the irony. _And just when I thought I everything's going according to plan._ Yuhi's smile was stagnant as she shook her head, turning her gaze to the other side when she felt someone step in under the shed beside her.

. . .

_What…?_ The auburn-haired girl started to feel as though pretty fireworks were exploding inside her chest all of a sudden. She wanted to smile so widely, but her curiosity grew dominant. She instantly erased her smile, as her eyes grew wide with surprise. Her lips parted, but words would not come out of her throat. _Why… are you doing this to me?_

It was a dream, definitely a dream. A single unexpected event could not have happened, in reality, twice in the same day, in the same situation, with the same person. Right? Yuhi wanted to know the limits of that certain possibility. She did not want to think of fate and all its elements. She did not want to fall into the traps of serendipity. So she assumed it was a dream, and she knew it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Because in her dreams, she would not feel all sorts of emotion rolling about her gut, she would not feel _that_ excessively giddy. In her dreams, everything was moderate, everything felt normal. She would feel happy, but it was not like what she would feel in reality. It was not like what she was feeling at that certain moment.

Reality, however, did not hit the auburn-haired girl as fast. There she stared, stunned, as the person, the boy, beside her pulled off the hood of his purple jacket from securing his head, ruffling his fluffy white hair to shake off the rain drops that stayed on the strands. It was confirmed then. No, it was confirmed even before he showed his face. Yuhi instantly knew who the person was the moment she laid eyes on him. There was no doubt about it.

Killua.

Again.

Yet, again, Yuhi was wonderstruck by his presence. The boy's fire seemed to have burned her once more in a very, very good way. Especially when those jaded, cerulean eyes turned their gentle yet strangely intense gaze towards her light auburn ones. No, Yuhi still could not get used to that. She blinked, secretly pinching her arm to wake herself up. But then again, she was not dreaming. Yuhi pondered, but slowly realizing how long she was staring back into the boy's gaze, she quickly looked down, blushing hard. She knew she needed to say something, something cool and void of stutters. "You're… uhm… h-here." Yuhi's voice was silent, but her heart was screaming. The situation was abrupt and unexpected, for Pete's sake. She needed to redeem herself. Yuhi took a deep breath, collecting all the courage she could, and flashed a shy smile towards the boy. "A-Aren't you going home?"

Killua exhaled and took his eyes off the girl, shaking off more droplets of rain from his jacket. "I am."

This made Yuhi ponder. She cocked her head to her right in confusion, thinking about what that meant. Then realizing something, she instantly stood straight, like an electric current crawled through her spine. _His way is here!?_ "You're going home?" she asked again, tone stepping an octave higher.

The boy blinked and nodded.

And with reflex the auburn-haired girl asked a question she never knew would come out from her _to_ him. "Where?"

Killua turned his eyes towards the girl, and shifting his gaze ahead, he pointed towards that one corner opposite the turn to the campus.

_Eh—!?_ Yuhi followed it with her wide eyes. It was an empty lot. Killua might be pointing out that it was the street to their home. The girl's eyes grew even wider because of humiliation. _I… left him there, without me knowing that we'll be heading in the same way…_ Yuhi wanted to hide her face from the world. It was already painted pink. _This is so embarrassing!_ She instantly turned back around and bowed low. "I'm so sorry I left you earlier!" Her apology was sincere. But she could not help but think of the possibilities that the boy might take the event that happened earlier in a negative way. She left him again after Killua offered to, basically, walk with her, after all. Yuhi inwardly grunted when she thought of that. _Can I turn back time?_

"You're always in a hurry anyway," Killua mumbled under his breath, sounding annoyed.

_Ba-dump._ It was an alarm. Killua was starting to notice the girl's actions towards him. Yuhi started to feel tensed by that. But she let it slide in the moment, knowing that the problem was hers to solve. She stood straight and smiled sheepishly. "I'm so sorry…"

The boy stared at her, and then returned his gaze to looking at the rain again. He placed his hands inside his jacket's pockets. "…No need to say sorry." Another mumble.

Yuhi nodded and pursed her lips as she turned to watch the rain as well. Again she felt comfortable and safe in the white-haired boy's presence. And she knew she did not want to leave that zone. Not yet. Just a few more seconds of peaceful silence. A few more seconds of before she could run off again.

"Ah! The rain's never going to stop!"

Turning her gaze to her right, the auburn-haired girl blinked as she stared into Killua's twisted expression. She then shifted her gaze to his arms, and back to his face. "Why aren't you bringing any umbrella?" Her tone was silent and sincere—concerned.

Killua shifted his gaze to the girl, resting his eyes for a few seconds onto hers with that same disbelieved expression on his face. "I don't bring umbrellas. Umbrellas are a pain to carry."

Yuhi shrugged and nodded slowly. "But in a rainy day like this, you might get sick, ne."

A small faint crooked smile appeared across the boy's face as he turned away from the girl. "Get sick?" He shook his head. "Don't make me laugh."

Yuhi frowned while thinking of the consequences Killua's words might do to him. She did not anymore know what to say. She just nodded and hugged the box in her hands. Feeling the object in her arms, a certain man appeared in her head. _Roroturo-san!_ She gasped, and looked at Killua.

A conflict of interest.

No, how could she leave that beautiful face alone in the rain? But how could she make her guardian wait for her on his birthday? Yuhi turned around and narrowed her eyes to check the streets. The rain was consistent. And the road she was to pass—run—through was uncovered. A deep sigh escaped her lungs. She wanted to get home. The cool air that howled with the rain was also making her bared legs freeze. She needed something warm. Something like hot ramen on a cold, rainy day.

Grumble.

Yuhi was hungry. Yes, there was no second-guessing at that. She really needed to get home.

"Hey."

It was Killua's call. The girl turned to look at him.

"I'll head back first," he said, jabbing a thumb towards the street he was pointing out a little while ago.

Yuhi seriously did not know how to react to that. She wanted to smile, but inside something was stinging her chest. She tried exhaling it out of her system. However, considering she had done that to him not once, but twice, she understood how she was going to answer. A nod. "Sure!" she ushered, finally letting out a faint convex curve through her lips. She bowed her head a little. "Please take care!" When she shifted her gaze to the boy's face, she met his deep blue orbs, and melted in it for a span of seconds she did not know how long, until she looked down.

The moment she looked back up, she flashed a wide smile, waving a hand before turning to stretch her neck to check the road again. Outside she seemed cool about everything, but inside, her system was at red alert. She honestly could not comprehend everything that was happening between her and the boy. She wanted to ignore it. She needed to get home. Yuhi stepped forward, tiptoeing to find the turn to the campus. And just when she did so, a call ceased her nerves.

"Wait—"

When Yuhi turned back around, she found Killua still standing there.

The boy looked away immediately after meeting the girl's eyes. Then he returned his gaze back at her after a frustrated sigh. "You're in a hurry, right?" he asked, almost mumbling.

Yuhi knew she blushed at that time, finding that particular expression on her angel's face so… cute. "Yeah, but—"

After a sigh, Killua cut the girl's sentence with a fast one of his own. "I'll walk you to the bus station."

Yuhi froze.

Church bells; she started hearing church bells inside her head after hearing that silently gentle sentence from her white-haired angel. The rain ceased in her hearing and vision, and everything went in slow motion once again. Yuhi's eyes was bright as she looked into Killua's blue ones, letting herself in to melt, and to fall, so, so close to the edge of the unknown. But like a fast rewinding tape, reality came back into her vision. The rain sounded heavier, and that was what woke her up. She blinked and instantly pointed to the open road. "It's raining, you know!" she exclaimed, not wanting to cause her angel the trouble of getting sick.

Killua's eyes grew wide with the response he received. But he replied with an equal tone. "That's the point! It's raining!"

_Doki._ Yuhi felt another push. "But we don't have an umbrella!"

The boy then blinked, and looking around his eyes fell to his own clothing. He pointed to his jacket.

_Dokidoki._ Pretty scenarios started infiltrating the girl's brain and chest. But she shook them away. "That's yours. It'll get soaked!"

Killua started unzipping his jacket and shaking it off from securing his upper body case.

_Dokidokidoki._ Yuhi blushed upon seeing the boy wearing a white t-shirt. It was the first time she saw him with such such simple clothing. _He's so… handsome…_ She then shook her head when Killua looked at her, looking down and looking back up. "I can't risk you being sick after this!"

The boy shrugged, spreading his jacket and hanging it over his shoulders. "Why do you talk about getting sick? This is nothing! It's only rain!"

_Dokidokidokidoki._ Yuhi took a deep breath and thought about it as she looked down. She tried. But she could not decide, because a different question was swarming inside her head. _Why does he persistently want to walk me to the bus stop?_ Yuhi then thought of a positive answer. But no, she shook her head. _That's impossible. Cannot be._

"Hey, I'm trying to be nice here!" Killua shouted midst the heavy rain. The frustrated tone in his voice can easily be comprehended.

The girl then looked back up at the boy, watching him look away and rub his nape with his free hand while the other hand held the jacket that hung over his shoulders. The view made Yuhi's heart beat faster, and faster. She wanted to, she truly wanted Killua to walk her to the bus sop. But it was raining so hard she just did not want to cause him any trouble.

Killua then turned his gaze towards the girl. Yuhi held her breath. For a second the boy stared with an intense look on his face, until his ruffled his hair in frustration and ran to the girl. "Ah! The heck with this!" He instantly threw his jacket over their heads and pushed Yuhi in the shoulders to run through the rain with him.

Dokidoki. Ba-dump. Doki. Dokidokidokidokikjsadkjsdkj.

Red alert.

While Killua's left hand was above their heads to support the only cover they have, his other hand firm around Yuhi's shoulders was what got all of the alarms inside her system to ring frantically. Yuhi was surprised, deeply. Her eyes were wide, her world seemed to have stopped, and she felt as though someone was punching his chest hard with solid fists from the inside. She did not know what was happening, she did not know what she was doing, not until she heard her angel speak, and his voice so close to her ear.

"Run faster!"

Yuhi returned to earth with the sound and feel of heavy rain on her shoulders, and the splashes of water with every fast and solid step. Yuhi blinked and focused her gaze ahead, feeling her heart beating as fast as every drop of rain. She swallowed a good amount of liquid and obeyed what Killua had said. She ran faster, and she knew she was to feel cold because of the rainwater that practically already wet her arms and hair, but somehow she felt warmer. It was strange. _Was it because of his presence?_ Yuhi attempted to look up at the boy, only to look ahead again. She palpitated. Killua's face was so, so close to hers. A tight grip secured the box she was holding in her arms, absent-mindedly crumpling the object with force.

Reaching a turn, Yuhi looked up at the boy again, blinking immensely as droplets of rain covered her sight. "Are you okay!?" she asked, hoping that her voice was loud enough.

No answer.

Yuhi then pressed her lips and carried on, hoping that the bus stop was near.

It took them about two stops before both could reach the bus stop. When they did, they were soaking wet. Both heaved deep sighs of relief upon reaching the shed.

Yuhi walked to the bench as she catched her breath. That was probably the longest, fastest, and craziest run she had ever had in her entire life. She placed her things on the seat to wring her hair and skirt dry. Amidst the complicated situation, there was still this giddy feeling fighting its way out of her chest. It was overflowing. It made her smile, and giggle a little. She turned to look at her white-haired angel.

Killua walked towards the bench where she was, to hang his soaking jacket in; hair and clothes damp because of the rain.

The auburn-haired girl watched as the boy wiped his arms off rainwater, and as he ran his fingers through his hair. Yuhi suppressed a smile when she saw that annoyed look on the boy's face while he try to level the strands of his hair to his eyes. The girl's gaze then shifted from her angel's face to the boy's slightly exposed physique. She was alarmed. Killua's shirt was half-soaked. Yuhi noticed the solid chest of the boy sticking against his wet shirt. She blushed, but that was not important. She looked at Killua, only to find that he was looking at her. Yuhi could not but utter a two-word sentence. "…Your shirt…"

The boy blinked and looked down at his clothes. He then shrugged. "What about it?"

Yuhi shook her head a little to get her rationality back. "It's wet," she said with concern. "When that dries on you, you might get sick."

"Psh." Killua then stepped towards the bench and took a seat, shaking his shirt a little from sticking to his skin. "I told you already, don't make me laugh."

A deep exhale escaped the girl's lungs. Yuhi was worried, and to think that it was because of her that Killua sacrificed his jacket, his time, and his temper. She wanted to approach the boy, and thought of probably the most insane thing in the whole wide world at that time. "Do you want to—" Yuhi was to say her sentence, but Killua's gaze turning towards her made her think about the offer she was to give again. _Will it be okay… if I invited him home for ramen and dry clothes?_ Yuhi gulped. _What will he think?_

"What?" Killua aked, sounding surprised and impatient at the same time.

Yuhi pressed her lips together, slowly shaking her head as a response. She then looked away and pretended to check her things while she scolded the level of her courage. Cowardice predominated in that moment. She sighed at that, taking a seat on the same bench Killua was in. She hoisted her box and removed her damp jacket from securing it. To her dismay, the crepe paper was destroyed and the edges of the box were already wet. Yuhi pouted at that. She compeletely expected that it would turn out like that the moment she found out that her umbrella was stolen, but it still made her sad. _It was so pretty when I bought it._

"You're giving that to Roroturo-san, I guess?" Killua suddenly mused as he watched the girl remove the crepe paper from around the box.

The latter nodded. A smile escaped her lips upon hearing her angel mention her guardian's name. It felt nice. "I was supposed to." Yuhi placed the deformed crepe wrapper beside her and peeked from the clear plastic on top of the box to check the sweets. "But the wrapper's ruined now. It wouldn't look like a surprise gift anymore." She laughed as she peeled off the scotch tape that secured the box shut.

Killua shrugged and turned ahead, resting his back on the back support of the bench and throwing his hands behind his head. "Meh. Wrapping's not that important."

Yuhi pursed her lips together, pulling the box's lid open and leaning forward to look at what's inside. Her eyes sparkled when she saw the colourful cupcakes still placed perfectly and prettiy in the box. It still looked great, and it smelled great. It made her stomach grumble even more. But that won't keep her from pushing through with what she planned to do next. She hoisted one huge chocolate cupcake, with a nice swirly icing on top, and with confectionary sugar and more chocolate chips and sprinkles scattered therein, topped with a red cherry for color. Yuhi stared at its glory, and pursing her lips together she turned her gaze to her right.

There about five feet away from her, was Killua resting comfortably on his seat, eyes closed and legs crossed. Yuhi wanted to give the cupcake to her angel. She wholeheartedly wanted to do it. With an excited feeling filling her chest, she called his attention. "K—" No, calling out the name she was having a hard time saying aloud to the person who owned it was an even difficult job. Yuhi cleared her throat silently and nodded once. _You can do this, Yuhina! Just say his name!_ She cleared her throat again and tried to gain all the courage she had in her body. Taking a deep breath, she parted her lips. "K… Killua." Her tone was so tender and soft. Yuhi only wished that the boy would not take that as something… else.

The addressed opened his eyes immediately upon hearing his name, turning his gaze towards the person who called him.

Yuhi pursed her lips. Her heart beating fast as she stretched both of her hands to hand the single chocolate cupcake to her white-haired angel. "Please take this!" She bowed her head, with reflex, and to hide her blushing face. Yuhi knew it was only a friendly gesture, as exchange for what Killua has done for her. But, she was nervous—even feeling her hands shaking as they waited to for someone else's.

Killua's blinked, shifting his gaze from the girl's face to the sweet delicacy in her hands. His eyes suddenly grew wide. He swallowed hard. "What's that?"

The girl stretched her arms out even more, praying that Killua would take her little gift. "F-For you…!" She then remembered when she was handing out Mitan's letter to them in the rooftop. Yuhi's eyes suddenly grew wide. _Mimi-chan!_ She looked up at the boy who was staring at the cupcake in her hands. Yuhi pursed her lips. _Just this once, Mimi-chan. He deserves to have a cupcake._ No, she did not want to betray her friend by being all sweet and friendly first to the white-haired boy—at least that was what she was thinking.

Killua blinked again and cleared his throat. "…What do you want me to do with it?"

Yuhi swallowed liquid. For once, she wondered why she could talk for hours with random people, but not with Killua. She was always speechless in front of the white-haired boy. She needed enough courage. "Have it! I mean… thank you! No, I—" The nerves were taking over. _Why is everything coming out sooo wrong?_ Yuhi took a deep breath. "It's for you. For walking me here… and everything, thank you!" She bowed her head again, embarrassed by her expression she did not know what looked like.

"Isn't _that_ for Roroturo-san?"

_Ack. _The girl nodded and smiled sheepishly as she turned her eyes towards the boy's face. _Please take it, even so._ "But I'm giving this one to you." Yuhi pushed the cupcake more to the boy's direction, feeling her face burn with embarrassment.

Killua only looked at it, seeming as though he was thinking.

Suddenly, two headlights started shining through in Yuhi's vision and the sound of a verhicle approaching filled the air. The girl sat straight and turned around, only to find that the bus was about near the shed they were waiting in. Yuhi returned to Killua and stood up when she heard the beep of the bus horn.

It was adrenaline rush, for without second-guessing she grabbed the boy's hands and placed the cupcake in his palms. Adrenaline rush, but Yuhi swore her life muscle was dancing at that certain sparkly moment. She grinned as she stood straight. "Thank you!" She bowed. "I'm so sorry for causing you trouble!" Standing straight, she gained enough courage to look at the boy. Killua was staring at the cupcake. Yuhi pursed her lips together. _I really don't want him to go home like this. He'll be all alone. It's cold too._ Yuhi truly wanted to invite Killua home with her, but she thought of it being quite… sudden, and out of place, since she has a crush on him and she was not as close to him as she was to Gon.

Another beep from the bus. It stopped, and its doors can be heard opening. "Are you getting in?" It was the conductor.

Yuhi turned around to nod at the man before going to her things and collecting them. She carelessly slid the bag around her and carried the box underneath her jacket. She turned to Killua. He was looking her way. _Ba-dump._ _Should I…?_ "Will you be okay?"

The boy nodded once. His lips parted. But before he could utter another word the girl started walking away.

"Please take care on the way home!" Yuhi waved a hand, feeling a tad guilty about leaving Killua alone in the middle of the rain. She smiled widely at him before turning to jump in the bus. But before she could take a step, a call halted her.

"Hey, wait!"

_Dokidokidoki._ Yuhi turned back around, cocking her head to the side when the boy looked away and rubbed his nape when she met his eyes.

After a rough sigh, Killua looked at the girl, slightly avoiding eye contact. "_Thanks_, I guess…" It was almost like a mumble. But Yuhi heard it nevertheless. The girl smiled gleefully, and was about to hop in when Killua stopped her again. "And!" he added, tone a little higher than before. Yuhi waited, her heart was racing. Killua looked at her. "…Don't get your umbrella stolen again."

Here the girl's smile was from ear to ear. It was a great feeling, and Yuhi did not know why. Killua only told her that she should not have her umbrella stolen again, right? That was a simple 'don't be stupid' kind of sentence, and she knew that. However, somehow, she felt that the boy's words were uttered with so much carefulness, with so much warmth and concern. Yuhi nodded and bowed. "Take care on the way home!"

And finally she was inside the bus headed home.

Yuhi watched Killua from the window as she walked along the aisle of the bus. There she saw him sit back on the bench while ruffling his wet hair, staring and hoisting the cupcake Yuhi gave that he placed beside him. It was then cut at that. The bus moved farther and farther fast. With an eased smile, Yuhi took a seat beside the windows of the bus, resting her right elbow on the windowpane while staring at the dark, wet road. She pursed her lips as she recalled everything that happened, cupping her hot cheeks as she felt her heart beating faster and faster with absolute glee.

Yuhi thought that by thinking about her friend, it would lessen the feelings that were building up in her chest. But she was wrong. It only brewed greater, and solid. It grew, and it pushed her more to fall deep into the sea of an unknown passion.

_-CHAPTER END-_

* * *

_Sooo, how was the chapter? Too short? Hm, why don't you speak your mind and again, type down those thoughts in that pretty little review box down there!_

_Replies to guest reviews~_

_Mai: Hii! I loved how you described the cliffhanger. Cute, eh? lol Yes. that certain jacket of his. Upupupu XD I am giving it to you. Make sure you tuck it in at night, alright? Haha! Thanks for reviewing again! Hope you'll review this chapter too!_

_Ripplekins: Helloooo! My goodness, you're review is so cool and fangirl-y and I love it! Nyaha! I have updated todaaaay! Hope you can review again. I would love to hear what you have to say. :3_

_2102032: It's le pastry shop, Fondant Garden. Haha! That's fuuuyn, tho! Imaginations are awesoooome! Thanks for reviewing againnn! Review this too? Haha!_

**NEXT CHAPTER: What could have developed between Yuhi and Killua now? It's the weekends and Yuhi found something, someone, she knew while browsing through the market. What could possibly happen next?**

BTW, bad news. I am not quite sure if I could update next week. My schedule for week is a pain to even look at so yeah. My brain's probably be drained all throughout. However that was only a 'maybe'. I am still not sure. If you want updates, you can add me through my FB. It's in my FFn profile! :D

Leave a review on this too? It'll be awesome if you could! Review guyssss, review. Please tell me what you think. I am encouraging you!~~ Thank youuu!


	12. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**  
**(_NOT_ A CHAPTER)**

Yes, yes, I know, you all are probably thinking of how awful I am for not updating 2 weeks in a row, and here I am welcoming you all back with an author's note. I know this sucks, and I apologize. I truly apologize. See, even though in the last chapter I said in the footnote that I most probably won't be able to update a chapter in the week following that particular chapter (which was the latest, chapter 11).

Well, surprise, I really didn't. I couldn't. Know why? God, the school load! I cry everyday while thinking of what to finish and how we are going to finish them all in less than a month. Plus, with our organization's and college's and university's activities and all. It's hard. It's really, really hard. Even though I honestly want to update (because I miss seeing your excited reviews on my email every single day), but I just couldn't. It's frustrating, and mentally distressing.

Whenever I find time to write, I couldn't put into pretty words what I picture in my head, because something else predominates my creative writing skills. This is what I perceive it to be: school kills my creative writing frustrated talent. I didn't like it. And I didn't like the outcome of my "forced" creativity in the following chapter, so I ceased writing for a while, and decided that I won't update for a week.

But a week turned into two weeks, yay! -not! I regret this fully, because I told Lani that I will update Monday or Sunday night LAST WEEK, and I really, really planned to. But something came up. Turned out I totally forgot about what I needed to do. I did them abruptly, of course, but after the load last Monday, org dilemmas and own load suddenly came in. I couldn't think straight, for crying out loud.

It was the worst thing in the world. I realized that I haven't finished the chapter. I was planning to update on a Tuesday, last week, but no, my schedule was the ultimate plan crasher. Last week my life was full of sleepless nights... and early morning duties I needed to attend to. I haven't had enough sleep until today. AND I lost my phone because of that. I couldn't remember the event.

What the friggin hell, right?

Yes, that is my life. So please, please, pleasssseeee understand what I'm going through right now. It's not easy; both mentally and emotionally. Physically and spiritually, I can still handle the stress and load, but those two right there? I'm meek. And I don't even know why. /sigh/ Alright, before I head onto the rest of my depression, I would now officially state my status for this story.

**I WILL UPDATE AND CONTINUE, BUT IT WON'T PROBABLY BE UNTIL THE END OF THIS SEMESTER, WHICH IS THE THIRD OR FOURTH WEEK OF OCTOBER.**

Finals is up and the deadlines are piling up soooo, I know you too are currently experiencing this. Let's be supportive, people! I wish you guys all the best in all your endeavors and I hope you'll do them with the BEST that you can! I know you can! You guys are awesome, of course you can! :D

Soooo, that wraps up my author's note. Kinda long, ne? Sorry, I think I just ranted. LOL Well, anyway, I only wanted to stress my point because I do not want to lose my precious readers. I do not want to lose you guys. PLease don't disappear. Please, don't give up on this storyyyy. I actually fear that if I don't update fast and with consistency, I would lose readers and eventually the story would lose hope, that's why I update on a weekly basis. But, pleaseeeeee this time spare me? Hihi. I promise to come back and update on a weekly basis again! Don't you worry, guys, I have plans for this story, yes I have. Gihihi~

Thank you so muchhhh for keeping up. I never, not ever forget who you all are, and your lovely reviews are always so appreciated. Did I ever tell you how I squeal and bounce of delight whenever I receive an alert about a review? Yes, I go super hyper like that, and that is my fuel in writing. Hihi. Thank youuu! Sending you all love, care and support from author desu, and Yuhi-chaaan!

I WILL BE BACK FOR MORE FLUFFY STUFF. EXPECT MORE KILLUAXYUHI MOMENTS AND MOOOOST OF ALL, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR... *coughs* Are you even excited? Well, I am excitedddd! Haha! Alright, this has been long. See you in 2 weeks! ^_^

PS: I never planned to result to an author's note, I just thought about you guys and how y'all are so disappointed. I'm sorryyyyy. :( Especially to guest readers. I could PM readers with accounts here in FFn but I couldn't contact guest readers soooo...

I replied to guest reviews, though! :)

_Replies~_

_Mai: Hi, Mai! I'm glad you saw my post in Facebook about this. Haha! Lots of dokidokidoki shall be in the future chapters! And oh, that Kurapika! That Kurapikaaaaa! I want that Kurapika. Right. Now. Please. LOL. Take Killua. Here. XD (Yuhi: ...eh? ^^;;) Thanks for the precious review! Hope you would review here too. Hihi._

_Ripplekins: Hello! OHMYGLOBYOURREVIEWMADEMEGIGGLELOUDINCLASSWHENIREAD ITONMYPHONE HAHAHA Made me want to jump fast to the part where... Hihi. Sorry for not updating last week. I hope you would still need it in your life. I thank you. :D_

_neko-chan: Hiii! Y-You think that? Well... *chuckles* The one who stole Yuhi's umbrella was the unknown man she saw looking at her from outside the pastry shop. D'awww! That was cute! Now I'm guilty. I'm sorry I didn't update sooner. Here it is though! Thaaaanks for waiting!_

_2102032: Sorry for not updating sooner! Thank you so much for being one. I really, really appreciate it. So much. :3 Too much Killua. Haha! And the part where they ran through the rain, I am so freaking glad that you liked that part! That was what I was reserving for the chapter, tbh. Gihihi. Hope this chapter won't disappoint you though ^^;; Cupcakes from the grateful Yuhi to youuuu!_

Thank you for taking time in reading this crap, and I'm really sorry for making you expect this was a chapter. Hehe. ^^;; I will come back, I promise. Just need to finish some real life stuff before I sink my teeth in the wonders of fantasy. Thaaaaanks! See you, guys! ^_^


End file.
